Pop

When Is SZA’s ‘SOS’ Deluxe Coming Out?

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SZA is the subject of a new Billboard cover story that dropped today, as the publication named her Woman Of The Year. During the interview, she confirms what fans had been suspecting for quite a while: that there will be a deluxe version of her chart-topping 2022 album, SOS.

“And, once she releases the deluxe edition of SOS — which will feature 10 additional tracks and is coming soon — SZA says she’ll be done trying to convince herself that she deserves her flowers,” the piece notes.

“After I do the deluxe, I’m hoping to be able to accept that this chapter is done,” SZA said. “I’m looking forward to actually feeling proud of myself and not just smiling and nodding at accolades but really feeling it internally and knowing that I’m good enough.”

While it’s still unclear exactly when we can expect the added ten tracks, it’s just nice to know that it’s on the way. And, hopefully, it won’t take that long to drop — given there were five years between SZA’s debut and sophomore album cycles.

Many fans speculated that the SOS deluxe edition would drop in August, after spotting a potential Easter egg in SZA’s “Kill Bill” music video on the motorcycle license plate, which read “SOS” and “August.” In their defense, she previously used a similar method at the end of her “Shirt” music video to announce her album’s release date.

However, she shut those ideas about the deluxe date down on Twitter. “The deluxe is not coming out in august lol it’s just a license plate,” she wrote.

What Is Omar Apollo’s Song Setlist For The ‘SOS Tour’ With SZA?

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Omar Apollo Warner Music Group Pre-Grammy Party 2023
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The year is filled to the brim with highly-anticipated concert tours and festivals. Chart-topping recording artist SZA’s SOS Tour is near the top of the list. The “Kill Bill” singer launched her North American tour wing of her tour yesterday (February 21) in Columbus, Ohio, at The Jerome Schottenstein Center.

Over the next few weeks, the songwriter will embark on a 15-city tour with support from singer Omar Apollo. The Grammy Best New Artist nominee has quickly gained a fan base due to his deeply emotional approach, which will fit in perfectly with SZA’s discography while on tour. Although SZA’s setlist will fluctuate across each night’s performance, Omar Apollo’s growing fame and discography doesn’t offer as much flexibility.

According to setlist.fm, Omar’s setlist is a mix of both fun and sad songs. View Omar Apollo’s setlist and the remaining SOS Tour dates below.

1. “Useless”
2. “Killing Me”
3. “Endlessly”
4. “3 Boys”
5. “Petrified”
6. “Invincible”
7. “Tamagotchi”
8. “Kamikaze”
9. “Want U Around”
10. “Evergreen”
11. “Go Away”

02/24 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
02/25 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
02/27 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
02/28 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
03/02 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
03/04 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
03/07 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
03/09 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center
03/10 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
03/13 — San Diego, CA @ Viejas Arena
03/14 — Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
03/16 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
03/18 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center
03/19 — Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
03/22 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Kia Forum

Omar Apollo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

SZA Explained Why Knew She’d Be ‘Pissed Off’ By The Success Of ‘Kill Bill’

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SZA has been named Billboard‘s Woman Of The Year for 2023. In celebration, she did an interview with the publication on the heels of her sophomore SOS album dropping in December.

Not only did SZA reveal that there’s a deluxe version on the way, but she also opened up about exactly how she feels about her mega hit, “Kill Bill.” The song reached No. 2 on the charts, making it her biggest song to date.

“I knew it would be something that pissed me off,” she said. “It’s always a song that I don’t give a f*ck about that’s just super easy, not the sh*t that I put so much heart and energy into. ‘Kill Bill’ was super easy — one take, one night.”

The vengeful-but-fun video drew a significant amount of attention, too, as it pulled inspiration from the Tarantino flick and had a cameo from Vivica A. Fox.

Still, SZA also noted that she did want to change things up from any expectations that fans might have had after her 2017 debut, Ctrl, saying, “I know people wanted ‘Broken Clocks,’ ‘Love Galore,’ and all that other sh*t again, but I departed from that by choice. Not because I couldn’t do that again; it was just because I wanted to grow. I wanted to do something completely different.”

It’s clear that the pivot has worked out in her favor immensely.

Usher Was So Blown Away By A K-Pop Group’s Concert That It Inspired His Own Shows

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In honor of Usher’s Vegas residency, the R&B icon did an interview with GQ, revealing some interesting anecdotes along the way. Particularly, one about how his teenage sons took him to a truly special show that changed his outlook — and possibly converted him into a K-pop stan.

“I literally went to a Blackpink concert in Atlanta, and I was like, man!” Usher said. “I’m goofy! I’m looking like, ‘Wow, this is amazing.’  They were putting on a show. Wardrobe, great sequencing, with the lighting and everything working in sync — there’s no detail spared. I loved that.”

The piece also notes that he thoroughly enjoyed Blackpink’s choreography and all the pieces that went into their concert. Usher goes on to touch on how this ties into his intentions for each of his “My Way” residency performances — titled after his second album from 1997.

He notes that he wanted it to cater to the ladies attending and bringing his level of perfectionism to the Park MGM.

“I really wanted to give women something to look forward to, something to come here to Las Vegas with their friends for,” he shared. “They’ve been saving up all year and were able to manage to get away from their kids or get away from their problems.”

“They come out and really enjoy themselves for the entire weekend. They want to be able to really get away and have an experience,” Usher added.

Usher’s shows are picking back up in March and will run through July. More information is available here.

What Songs Should You Expect SZA To Play On Her ‘SOS Tour?’

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SZA is an undeniable force in music. As her sophomore album, SOS, continues to break records on the music charts or serve as the inspiration behind a few tongue-in-cheek TikToks by other famous musicians, fans can’t get enough of the project. Now, with the launch of the album’s supporting tour, concertgoers are beginning to wonder what they should expect as the “Kill Bill” singer makes her way to their city.

Yesterday (February 21), after opening the North American wing in Columbus, Ohio, at The Jerome Schottenstein Center, the internet is buzzing about which tracks of the songwriter’s discography made the cut. According to setlist.fm, SZA has a melting pot of her solo music featured during her show. In addition to her new music, fan-favorite tracks from her debut album Ctrl, the Black Panther soundtrack, and her older EPs, as well as songs from artists she’s inspired by.

View the setlist below, but don’t hold the singer to it. As the tour progresses, SZA shared on Twitter that nothing is set in stone, writing, “all imma say is the set list will fluctuate. Everything will have its day.”

1. “PSA”
2. “Seek & Destroy”
3. “Notice Me”
4. “Conceited”
5. “Love Galore”
6. “Broken Clocks”
7. “Forgiveless”
8. “Used”
9. “Bag Lady” (Erykah Badu cover)
10. “Blind”
11. “Shirt”
12. “Smoking On My Ex Pack”
13. “All The Stars”
14. “Prom”
15. “Garden (Say It Like Dat)”
16. “F2F”
17. “Drew Barrymore”
18. “Doves in the Wind”
19. “Low”
20. “Open Arms”
21. “Supermodel”
22. “Special”
23. “Nobody Gets Me”
24. “Gone Girl”
25. “SOS”
26. “Kiss Me More” (Doja Cat cover)
27. “Love Language”
28. “Snooze”
29. “Kill Bill”
30. “I Hate U”
31. “The Weekend”
32. “Good Days

See below for the remaining dates for the SOS Tour.

02/24 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
02/25 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
02/27 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
02/28 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
03/02 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
03/04 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
03/07 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
03/09 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center
03/10 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
03/13 — San Diego, CA @ Viejas Arena
03/14 — Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
03/16 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
03/18 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center
03/19 — Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
03/22 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Kia Forum

Omar Apollo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Ariana Grande Might Be Deep In Her ‘Wicked’ Era, But She Was Willing To Hit The Studio For One Particular Friend

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Music Twitter is in a frenzy after The Weeknd teased what appeared to be a remix of his Starboy standout “Die For You” featuring the return of a long-absent pop diva.

The Toronto singer shared a TikTok video from none other than Ariana Grande, who apparently filmed herself recording vocals for the updated track. “Wrote and recorded a verse for my friend after a 14-hour day on set,” she wrote. “This certain exception had to be made…”

The exception, of course, was to record outside music while working on the film adaptation of Wicked, which is currently eating up the bulk of the 29-year-old singer’s schedule. However, she beat the “not a singer anymore” allegations with a glimmering “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” rendition for her TikTok followers.

Obviously, she’ll be doing a bit of singing in Wicked as Glinda (the “good witch”), but for now, she won’t be working on new music of her own until Wicked wraps and releases.

It’s very interesting that The Weeknd is choosing to remix a now-seven-year-old song, but it shows his awareness of trends; thanks to fans on TikTok, the song broke the Billboard Hot 100’s top ten in January, and has remained there ever since. It’s symbolic of the new era of music in which decades-old songs can crack the Hot 100 for the first time thanks to sci-fi shows and TikTok trends, and The Weeknd might just be showing his peers how best to capitalize on old tracks that become new hits.

We’ll see if the actual remix drops in the near future, but for now, this teaser offers just enough of a glimpse at what it could be to get fans excited.

Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ Again Sits At No. 1 On The ‘Billboard’ Hot 100 While Ice Spice And PinkPantheress Hit A New High

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Even though Miley Cyrus can buy them for herself, it’s about time to give the pop icon her “Flowers,” as the aforementioned single sits at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. The chart dated for the week of February 25, 2023 marks the fifth week for “Flowers” at No. 1.

At No. 2 is SZA’s “Kill Bill,” which has held this spot for six weeks. On this song, which has gone viral on TikTok, SZA humorously fantasizes about killing her ex.

Metro Boomin’, The Weeknd, and 21 Savage hold the No. 3 spot with “Creepin’,” which interpolates Mario Winans and Diddy’s 2004 hit, “I Don’t Wanna Know.”

Continuing the hot streak of breakup anthems is “Boy’s A Liar, Pt. 2,” by PinkPantheress and Ice Spice, which is currently at No. 4. This marks a 11-spot leap for the two rising artists, as the song debuted at No. 15 last week. It also marks the highest-charting hit for both artists.

“this gurl radiated the warmest + most positive energy i’ve ever felt from a fellow artist that i had no choice but to join the spice cabinet that INSTANT,” said PinkPantheress of her collaborator in a tweet.

You can see the latest top 10 above.

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary or Warner Music Group.

Chlöe’s ‘In Pieces’ Has A Confirmed Release Date And Her Announcement Teased An Unreleased Track

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We’ve known since January 24 that Chlöe’s debut solo album, In Pieces, would drop sometime in March. Since that announcement, Uproxx’s August 2022 cover star has turned up the anticipation by releasing singles “Pray It Away” and “How Does It Feel.” The latter arrived last week, and fans were not happy that it featured Chris Brown, but Chlöe has returned with good news to wash out the bad taste in their mouths.

Today, February 20, Chlöe confirmed that In Pieces is coming on March 31. The announcement video was soundtracked by an unreleased track. “My tears are like the water. my heart is like the sun. through chaos, beauty grows. there’s power in my pain,” Chlöe tweeted.

Chlöe is fresh off co-headlining the NBA On TNT American Express Road Show on February 16 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her performance set the NBA All-Star Weekend festivities in motion, culminating in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game last night, February 19.

She wore a cheerleader’s uniform with “#IN PIECES” written across her chest.

In a fan-captured video, Chlöe told the crowd, “I just turned in my first debut album two days ago. It was the best Valentine’s Day gift to myself because when I was writing this album, I was dealing with too many … and I’m like, ‘You know what, girl? You deserve better than that.’ And instead of trying to get back at them, I’ma just let karma do its thing. I’ma ‘Pray It Away.’”

Check out the clips below, and watch Chlöe’s In Pieces release date announcement video above.

In Pieces it out 3/31 via Parkwood/Columbia. Pre-save it here.

SZA’s ‘SOS’ Is On Adele’s Heels After Its Ninth Week At No. 1 On The ‘Billboard’ 200 Chart

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SZA continues to surprise herself with the overwhelming success of SOS, her long-awaited sophomore album from December. It became her first-ever No. 1 on the Billboard 200 that month and has steadily broken records in the ensuing weeks.

Last month, SOS became the first album since Adele’s 30 (December 2021 to January 2022) to spend each of its first five weeks at No. 1. SZA began February by celebrating a seventh total week, citing that she, Adele and Taylor Swift are “the only female artists to have an album spend at least seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this century.”

By February 12, SOS logged its eighth nonconsecutive week and became the first album to tally that mark since Swift’s Folklore, and now, SZA is on Adele’s heels for yet another historic feat.

Per Billboard on Sunday, February 19, SOS sits at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated February 25, for a ninth total week.

“The last set by a female artist to spend at least nine weeks at No. 1 was Adele’s 25, which ruled for 10 nonconsecutive weeks between Dec. 12, 2015, and March 12, 2016,” Billboard‘s Keith Caulfield noted.

He later added:

“In the last 10 years, only three albums by women have spent at least nine weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200: SOS, Adele’s 25 (10 in 2015-16) and Taylor Swift’s 1989 (11, 2014-15). The last R&B/hip-hop album with at least eight weeks atop the list was Drake’s Views, which [spent] 13 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 (May 21-Oct. 8, 2016). SOS has the most weeks at No. 1 for an R&B/hip-hop album by a woman, or an R&B album by a woman, since Mariah Carey’s self-titled debut spent 11 weeks, all consecutively, at No. 1 in 1991.”

SZA appeared as a presenter at the 2023 Grammys on February 5, and she’s likely to be there as a nominee next year.

“Last night was the first time I had a great time at an award show! (Prolly cause I ain’t have to do sh*t but cheer my friends on + announce ppl I Stan lmao),” SZA wrote on Instagram afterward. “My team also surprised me w a GANG OF PLATINUM and gold plaques for SOS [crying emoji] can’t believe the album is already eligible for double platinum. LOVE TO EVERYBODY THAT GOT ME HERE AND CONTINUES TO LIVE ME UP. I love you.”

After initial concerns that people wouldn’t like SOS, SZA has apparently settled into the rhythm of repetitive record-breaking. “Honestly I’m bored and could go for some aliens,” she tweeted last week. “Speaking for me only.”

In actuality, she’s preparing to take her blockbuster album on the road. Her SOS Tour is scheduled to begin tomorrow, February 21 in Columbus, Ohio. Omar Apollo will serve as her opener.

Omar Apollo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.