We’re hours away from finally receiving a new SZA album, and fans can’t contain their excitement. It has been five years since the R&B diva released her hit debut Ctrl, and since then, the world has been questioning SZA about her follow-up. S.O.S. arrives at the stroke of midnight, and ahead of its release, the Top Dawg Entertainment hitmaker sat down with Hot 97 to speak on the album’s cover art.
After sharing the artwork, the public quickly noticed that the image mirrored a photo of Princess Diana. While speaking with Nessa, SZA confirmed the rumors and explained being inspired by the late British royal.
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“Originally, I was supposed to be on top of, like, a shipping barge,” said the singer. “But in the references that I pulled for that, I pulled the Diana reference because I just loved how isolated she felt. And that was what I wanted to convey the most.”
A last-minute change would lead SZA and her team in a different direction.
“We didn’t get clearance to get the shipping barges that we wanted,” she continued. “And we were like, ‘We’re gonna build the diving board instead. We’re still gonna try it.’ We didn’t nix the boat altogether, and we tried it. It turned out cool, and I wasn’t sure it was going to be really cool until, like, right now.”
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The singer has been teasing S.O.S. for some time as she was hit with one delay after another. SZA has repeatedly taken to social media to voice her frustrations, causing her fans to attack TDE’s President then, Terrence “Punch” Henderson. Despite a few dust-ups online, SZA maintains that she appreciates the hard work her label puts forth on her behalf.
Are you excited about S.O.S.? As the countdown begins, check out snippets of SZA’s recent appearance on Saturday Night Live below.
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