S.O.S.

SZA Used Songs From ‘SOS’ To Push Back On Claims That She ‘Only Makes Sad Girl Music’

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SZA just unveiled SOS, her first No. 1 album and long-awaited follow-up to Ctrl. The record has a lot of people emotional, even Lizzo posted her teary-eyed reaction to it. From blends of her signature, R&B ballads to the songwriter’s venture into rock, on the track “Ghost In The Machine” featuring Phoebe Bridgers, many fans find the album to be extra poignant. However, SZA is tired of her material being immediately classified as “sad girl music.”

In a new tweet, the singer wrote, “Ignoring songs like ‘SOS,’ ‘PSA,’ ‘Conceited,’ ‘Low,’ ‘Forgiveless,’ ‘Seek N Destroy,’ ‘Notice Me,’ or ‘Ex Pack,’ to pretend I only make sad girl music is dumb,” later adding, “Forgot ‘Good Days’,” in the replies.

Despite its downtrodden lyrics, even the pop-punk anthem “F2F,” has a catchy, upbeat sonic texture that doesn’t feel sad at all.

SZA was very nervous upon the release of this LP. On a recent podcast appearance, she said she “100 percent did not think” she would become so famous. She also didn’t think her fans would enjoy S.O.S.: “I never thought in a million years that people would like it,” she said. “My dad’s visiting right now with my mom. Everybody came down to make sure I didn’t lose my mind if the album went bad once it came out. And now we’re just hanging out ’cause it didn’t go badly!”

Phoebe Bridgers Was Surprised By How Quickly Her Collaboration With SZA (Who’s A ‘Great Hang’) Came Together

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Now that the wait is over and SZA’s SOS was finally released last week, all the sad hotties out there can rejoice. Across the album’s 23 tracks, SZA featured guest appearances from Travis Scott, Don Toliver, and the ghost of Ol’ Dirty Bastard. But it’s her duet with Phoebe Bridgers on “Ghost In The Machine” that came out of left field in the most delightful way possible. Now Bridgers has opened up about how she came to appear on SOS to begin with and how it just happened in a flash.

In an interview with NME that was mainly about her joining Danny Elfman on stage for A Nightmare Before Christmas in concert, the savvy interviewer dropped in a question about working with SZA on “Ghost In The Machine.” “How did that come about?,” NME’s Ali Shutler asked. She replied:

“That record is insane. She just hit me up… she just sent me a DM and it all happened so fast. I wasn’t really really used to that, in the pop world. Because vinyl isn’t so much of a consideration until way later. It’s like, ‘Do you want to be on this record? OK, it’s out next week.’ So it was so recent where I wrote that. Which I really like, I like that turnaround time. Personally, I sit on stuff for so long, it takes me years to make albums, so I like being involved and seeing someone else’s world from [a different] angle.”

Bridgers then punctuated her answer with a lofty statement about her adulation for SZA. “She’s definitely my favorite rapper. She’s so effective and cool. A great hang.” She also called SZA her “favorite rapper.”

SZA Sends Out an S.O.S. Her Fans

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SZA's 'S.O.S.' Album to Feature Ol' Dirty Bastard, Travis Scott & More

Five years after her breakout debut studio album “Ctrl,” R&B singer SZA is ramping up the rollout for her follow-up effort. Its finally here, SZA’s , whose real name is Solana Imani Rowe Read, finally dropped her new album: “S.O.S.” The album features 23 new tracks with a mixture of R&B, rap, pop and almost every music genre under the sun. “S.O.S” has features from Phoebe Bridgers, Travis Scott, Don Toliver, and the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard.  “Shirt,” produced by Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It has more than 69 million streams on Spotify alone. When asked about finding artist to collaborate with during
an interview on Hot 97, SZA reveals, “Collaborations happen in the DMs and begging people,” she said. “Sometimes people turn in their verses and sometimes they don’t. A lot of people just like, did not turn in their verses — but I’m grateful for who did.”

Since her platinum debut album “Ctrl” dropped, SZA has won five Grammy nominations  and a legion of fans. Before releasing “Ctrl,” SZA put out three EPs, wrote for artists such as Rihanna and Nicki Minaj, and collaborated with fellow rappers such as label mate, Kendrick Lamar. When asked why she named her debut album “Ctrl”, SZA explained, “I’ve lacked control my whole life and I think I’ve craved it my whole life. I couldn’t really arrive at it and now, I’m not really looking to arrive at it anymore. I’m just happy to be present.” SZA was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and raised in Maplewood, New Jersey. She has previously spoken about her home life, saying that it was a relatively restrictive one due to her family being Muslim. The name, pronounced “sizz-ah”, stands for “sovereign” or “savior,” “zigzag”
and “Allah”. She explains, “It just kinda like stumbled on me, cause my name is Solána… People called me Sos for short, which comes from Sosa”. Not wanting to be confused for rapper Chief Keef, who went by Sosa at the time, she then went to the “Supreme Alphabet” for inspiration.

SZA began her career by recording with her friends, using beats off the internet. Before breaking into the music industry, she worked at Sephora in the skin care department.

To date, SZA has sold over 2,145,000 albums, including 2,000,000 in the United States and 100,000 in the United Kingdom. CTRL, which sold over 2,145,000 copies . “S.O.S.” seems to be on a similar track for success. It’s already eligible to be certified gold in the US, according to Chart Data. It has already sold over 500,000 units, with available singles such as “Good Days,”
“Shirt,” and “I Hate U.”

The post SZA Sends Out an S.O.S. Her Fans appeared first on The Source.

SZA’s ‘S.O.S.’ To Make No. 1 Debut, Sets New Streaming Record at Spotify

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SZA's 'S.O.S.' Album to Feature Ol' Dirty Bastard, Travis Scott & More

SZA’s S.O.S. is out, and it is running up the numbers. According to HITS Daily Double, the new album will earn between 275,000 and 300,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, giving the TDE songstress her first No. 1 album.

The album will also see SZA tie Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy album with the most top 10 hits in U.S. Apple Music history at 13.

SZA also has the biggest single-day streams for an R&B album in the history of the streaming service, with 38 million.

The new album is 23 tracks in length and highlights Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Travis Scott, Phoebe Bridgers, and Don Toliver as features. You can hear the new release below.

The post SZA’s ‘S.O.S.’ To Make No. 1 Debut, Sets New Streaming Record at Spotify appeared first on The Source.

SZA Thinks Drake ‘Has A Regina George Quality About Him,’ But Don’t Worry, They’re Still Cool

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On the heels of the release of her sophomore album, S.O.S., SZA sat down with Audacy’s Check-In podcast. The interview took place after last Saturday’s episode of Saturday Night Live, where she was the musical guest.

During the aforementioned Saturday Night Live episode, there was a sketch in which ex-flings of rapper Drake formed a union called “The United Tingz Of Aubrey.”

SZA herself was not in the sketch, however, the irony was not lost on fans. In a song called “Mr. Right Now” from 21 Savage & Metro Boomin’s 2020 mixtape Savage Mode II, Drake alludes to a past relationship, as he raps, “Yeah, said she wanna f*ck to some SZA, wait / ‘Cause I used to date SZA back in ’08.”

During her podcast episode, SZA noted that she wasn’t aware of the sketch until the episode’s airing.

“In a strange way, I was like, ‘Did they know?’” she said. “But they didn’t ask me to be in it. Nobody said anything. … I feel like Drake has a Regina George quality to him where it’s just kind of like, ‘Have you or anyone you know been personally victimized?’ He’s like a cool kid, you know. When you’re the popular kid in school, it’s entertaining. It’s entertaining, but you sometimes are taking losses in the midst of that entertainment. The honesty, I respect that. But I definitely laughed real hard…I cackled.”

Despite the comparison to the Mean Girls bully, SZA insists that it’s all love between her and Drizzy.

“We’re cool. And we’ve always been cool,” she said. “It’s never been weird. It didn’t come completely out of the blue when he let me know. I didn’t know it was a song with 21 [Savage] or anything like that. But anytime he’s ever mentioned me, it’s always been positive. He’s never said anything negative about me. I’m grateful for that. I think highly of him…He’s King Drake.”

SZA Flips A Radiohead Classic On Her ‘SOS’ Cut, ‘Special’

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It may be a while before we hear SZA’s remix to Lizzo’s “Special,” but her new album, SOS, features a song of her own called “Special.”

On “Special,” SZA looks back not-so-fondly on lost love. She recalls the many things she changed about herself in order to please this person.

The song opens with a sweet, simple strum of a guitar, as she recalls comparing herself to a “girl from the Gucci store” who “never wore any makeup and owns couture.”

As the song reaches the song’s chorus, SZA sings, “I wish I was special / I gave all my special / away to a loser / Now I’m just a loser.”

Though there’s no direct or clear sample, the song sounds similar to Radiohead‘s “Creep,” notably the song’s pre-chorus, on which, Thom Yorke sings, “I wish I was special / You’re so f*ckin’ special.”

Both songs are somewhat self-deprecating in nature, but SZA is aware that the song’s subject wasn’t worth her time. Lyrics like “regret that I changed me / I hate that you made me / just like you” show SZA’s reaching a coming-of-age in her early 30s, moving on from the insecurities she lamented in her debut album, CTRL.

Check out “Special” above.

SOS is out now via RCA Records and Top Dawg Entertainment. Stream it here.

SZA Questions If A Breakup Was The Right Choice On ‘Nobody Gets Me’

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SZA‘s new album has everyone in their feels. On her debut album, CTRL, SZA faces the insecurities and uncertainties that come with growing up. SOS sees a more mature version of the R&B songstress who has made the conscious choice to let go of things that weren’t serving her. On one of the album’s standout tracks, SZA has second thoughts about parting ways from someone.

On “Nobody Gets Me,” SZA details memories of a past relationship, including tumultuous vacations, wild sexcapades, and an almost marriage. Though it seems like she was the one who made the choice to end the relationship, the song features her wondering if she made the right choice.

“It’s too late I don’t want to lose / What’s left of you / How am I suppose to tell you / I don’t wanna see you with anyone but me / Nobody gets me like you / How I’m supposed to let you go / Only like myself when I’m with you / Nobody gets me, you do,” she sings on the song’s chorus.

It’s a message that is poignantly specific, but painfully relatable.

Check out “Nobody Gets Me” above.

SOS is out now via Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records. Stream it here.

SZA Got Ghosted By A Few Features She Wanted For Her Album

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SZA is in full-on album mode. Her long-awaited sophomore album, S.O.S. is set to arrive this Friday (December 9). As she does her media run to promote the project, the TDE star appeared in an interview with HOT97 on Tuesday (December 6).

Subsequently, she revealed that she hoped for more features to be present on the project. “Sometimes people turn in their verses and sometimes they don’t. A lot of people just like, did not turn in their verses. But I’m grateful for who did,” SZA confessed.

However, the 33-year-old decided not to name any names.

SZA Reveals Tracklist

The tracklist and album cover were revealed on Monday (December 5). The 23-track LP is set to have four features. Additionally, the songs with Don Toliver and Phoebe Bridgers will serve as first-time collaborations between them and SZA. 

Furthermore, Travis Scott will make an appearance on the 20th track, “Open Arms.” These two have joined forces in the past, for 2017’s smash hit “Love Galore” off of Ctrl. The song is now Grammy-nominated.

A posthumous appearance from Wu-Tang legend Ol’ Dirty Bastard will also appear on the album’s outro, “Forgiveness.”

“I talked to his estate. It really just came from a piece of documentary footage. He was freestyling in the background of the footage so I took the audio. It’s cool,” the “Broken Clocks” singer told Nessa of HOT97 in the interview.

The album is backed by four singles, “Good Days,” “I Hate U” and “Shirt.” The fourth and final single, “Blind” was recently premiered during the singer’s second SNL performance.

CTRL Deluxe

Earlier this year, the St. Louis native dropped a deluxe version of her debut album, Ctrl. Its release coincided with the project’s five-year anniversary. Consequently, seven new tracks appeared on the deluxe, including an alternate version of “Love Galore” with previously unheard vocals.

Are you excited for S.O.S. to arrive later tonight? Comment down below who else you wish would’ve been a feature.

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SZA Details “S.O.S.” Cover Art Being Inspired By Princess Diana

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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.

Read More: SZA Reveals Tracklist For “S.O.S.” With Travis Scott, ODB & More

“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.”

Read More: SZA Hints That She Might Be Done With Music Soon

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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SZA Hints That She Might Be Done With Music Soon

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SZA is set to drop her highly-anticipated album S.O.S. this Friday. But, according to a new interview, the singer-songwriter might be hanging up her singing career in the near future.

The 33-year-old opened up about the pressures she faces as an artist during an interview with radio personality Nessa Diab.

“People are expecting so much from me, and then it’s like if it’s not what people expect then they attack you,” she revealed on Nessa On Air. “And then it’s just like, ‘Ugh, whatever.’ Then it makes me never wanna put out music again. It’s just exhausting.”

After Nessa brought up SZA’s past comments about taking up farming instead of music, the “Love Galore” songstress nodded her head in agreement.

“I’m definitely about to get up out of here shortly.” she continued. 

After admitting that she isn’t the most present on social media, the St. Louis native then joked about copping a flip phone with no apps.

(Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Global Citizen)

SZA revealed the tracklist for S.O.S. earlier this week ahead of the album’s debut. The 23-track project will feature a number of notable artists, including Travis Scott, Don Toliver, and Phoebe Bridgers. 

Ol’ Dirty Bastard will also appear on the album, likely as a sample. The hip-hop icon passed away in 2004 following an accidental drug overdose.

Teasing the album’s tracklist, SZA uploaded two photos of herself laying in a muddy puddle with her waist and butt partially exposed. 

“Which version for back tracklist?” the singer asked her nearly 7 million Twitter followers on Monday.

READ MORE: SZA Teases Hayley Williams Collab On Twitter

Last week, she released the cover art for S.O.S., which shows the Grammy-nominated musician sitting at the end of a diving board and surrounded by dark blue water. 

She shared that the picture was inspired by Princess Diana, who was photographed in the same fashion in 1997 shortly before her death.

What are your thoughts on SZA’s possible retirement from the music industry? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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