sos

All No. 1 Albums In 2023 On The ‘Billboard’ 200 Chart

by
sza
Getty Image

2023 has been an incredible year, with a ton of new music to soundtrack our favorite moments. Many different artists had their albums reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, with the genres ranging from rap to country — and even some K-pop icons sprinkled in.

Here’s what to know about the albums that reached the top in 2023.

All No. 1 Albums In 2023 On The Billboard Hot 100 Chart

Earlier this year, 2023 kicked off with SZA’s SOS album reigning on the 200 albums chart. Her record spent eight weeks there throughout the year, giving her second place as the artist with the most.

Morgan Wallen’s One Thing At A Time was the album to spend the most weeks at No. 1 this year, with 16 in total spread across the year.

Another interesting part is that Taylor Swift had three different albums hit the top of the chart this year — Midnights, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), and 1989 (Taylor’s Version).

Now, 2023 has closed with Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday 2 as this year’s final No. 1 record.

Continue scrolling to see the complete list of all the albums that reached No. 1 in 2023.

SZA — SOS
Tomorrow x Together — The Name Chapter: Temptation
Karol G — Mañana Será Bonito
Morgan Wallen — One Thing At A Time
Taylor Swift — Midnights
Stray Kids — 5-Star
Lil Uzi Vert — Pink Tape
Taylor Swift — Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)
NewJeans — Get Up
Travis Scott — Utopia
Zach Bryan — Zach Bryan
Olivia Rodrigo — Guts
Rod Wave — Nostalgia
Drake — For All The Dogs
Bad Bunny — Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va A Pasar Mañana
Blink-182 — One More Time…
Taylor Swift — 1989 (Taylor’s Version)
Stray Kids — Rock-Star
Ateez — The World EP.Fin: Will
Nicki Minaj — Pink Friday 2

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

SZA Reveals She Struggles Controlling Her Temper

by

Earlier this month, SZA sat down for a very long conversation with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. The interview has been making waves for weeks now as the R&B darling gets impressively candid on a variety of subjects. She also revealed plenty of details to fans about her massive 2023. The year saw her riding the massive success of her album SOS to two massive hits in “Kill Bill” and “Snooze.” But despite all of her success, there is at least one thing she still thinks she can improve on.

“My biggest priority now is being an emotionally regulated person with healthy relationships,” she explains at the beginning of the segment. That’s in line with something else she says in the interview about fame. She feels like the sensation of being famous is unnatural and wants to escape it. The singer also goes on to explain how she’s also praying to control her temper. She wants “to be slower to anger, like I literally pray, like oh, you know, may I be slower to be anger, may I be calm, like filled with love and kindness.” Check out the full interview below.

Read More: SZA’s “SOS” Becomes Longest Running #1 R&B Album

SZA On Being Quick To Anger

SZA concluded the segment by saying that she just wants to be a better person. “and not in like the idea of what a good person is, I want to be honest enough to create boundaries, healthy boundaries and I want to be honest enough to say no,” she claims. The new interview sheds plenty of light on what the R&B darling may have been up to privately in the past few years. There was a 5-year gap between the release of SOS and her previous album CTRL.

Earlier this month there was discussion online about SZA’s hit “Snooze.” Fans were discussing the list of songwriters involved in the track. That was until Punch from her label Top Dawg Entertainment had to weigh in. He clarified that she did, in fact, write every word of the song herself. What do you think of SZA’s perspective on controlling her temper and being less quick to anger? Let us know in the comment section below.

Read More: What Is SZA’s Best-Selling Album?

[Via]

The post SZA Reveals She Struggles Controlling Her Temper appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

SZA Reveals That She Started Making Music To “Prove A Point” To A Specific Person

by

SZA’s undoubtedly one of the leading figures in R&B, and music at large, right now. Although CTRL put a massive spotlight on her name, the release of S.O.S. transformed her into one of the biggest stars of the year. With several accolades to her name, SZA’s success was a result of years of hard work. However, what truly motivated her was that she had to “prove a point.” During a recent interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music, she shared a bit of her mentality when she began pursuing music. 

“Some people choose music as a career, and they feel very certain about what they’re doing and why they’re doing it, but I was never quite certain, and I really only did music to prove a point,” she said around 26:19 mark. Zane Lowe pried further into who put that battery in her back to ensure that this path worked for her. “When I started making music, it was to my ex-fiancé because he was paying for everything. My food, my clothes, where I lived, and he was eight years my senior, so I was so co-dependent,” she revealed.

Read More: SZA’s “Kill Bill” Among Bill Nye’s Top Songs Of 2023

SZA Reflects On Career Beginnings

SZA continued to explain that her ex-fiancé’s success pushed her further into music, which she said she was “randomly good at.” “And he was so talented, and like, he’s a designer — so brilliant. His ex-girlfriends were all lawyers and businesswomen and artists that went to [Rhode Island School Of Design], and all these things, right? And you know, I’m a college dropout. I’m still bartending at the strip club, so it’s giving — like, I felt like a lacked value,” she added. “So, when I started trying to make music, it was this thing that I didn’t have to try at but was randomly good at because I’ve always written poetry and always felt emotional.”

Clearly, she was destined for this success from the jump. From her early days with TDE to her current status as the most nominated artist at the 2024 Grammys, SZA has undoubtedly had a spectacular year. Most recently, she began teasing LANA, the deluxe edition of S.O.S. Although she shared cover art pieces for the deluxe, she has yet to confirm a release date. 

Read More: SZA Claims The Title Of Variety’s 2023 Hitmaker Of The Year

[Via]

The post SZA Reveals That She Started Making Music To “Prove A Point” To A Specific Person appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

SZA’s ‘Lana’ Deluxe Album: Everything To Know Including The Release Date, Tracklist & More

by
sza
Getty Image

SZA announced that the deluxe version of her album, SOS, will be titled Lana. Given the massive success of the record already, fans are excited to see what else she has in store.

“It’s outtakes and new stuff, too — I added a couple of songs,” SZA previously shared to Variety. “It’s like a whole new project. It’s called ‘Lana’ — my name but, it’s the first tattoo that I ever got, when I was 13. It was 10 bucks a letter and I only had 40, so that that became my nickname for no reason. ‘Lana’ is really just the B-side of SOS.”

Here’s everything to know about the extended release.

SZA’s Lana Release Date

SZA’s Lana deluxe album does not currently have an official release date. Her reps confirmed that it was still TBA as of Monday, according to the publication.

SZA’s Lana Tracklist

Right now, the tracklist for SZA’s Lana is still unknown too.

Features On SZA’s Lana

There are also no features at this moment for Lana — although that might change when the official tracklist gets revealed.

Singles From SZA’s Lana

SZA has yet to release any singles from the deluxe version. Her previous SOS singles included “Kill Bill,” “Good Days,” “I Hate U,” “Shirt,” “Snooze,” and “Nobody Gets Me.”

SZA’s Lana Album Artwork

Earlier this week, SZA put out three possible options for the cover art for Lana on social media. Complete with a Parental Advisory tag, one finds SZA in a pig pen and posing, one is her doing a cute pose in a white outfit on a chair, and the other is her outside in a leaf-themed outfit. Check out all three below.

SZA “Wrote Every Word” Of “Snooze” Punch From TDE Reveals

by

Just over a year ago, SZA finally returned with SOS, the long-awaited follow-up to her critically acclaimed breakout album CTRL. The album included some singles that had already connected with fans like “Good Days,” “I Hate You,” and “Shirt.” In the wake of the album’s release the track “Kill Bill” became the biggest of the bunch sticking around in the top 10 of the Hot 100 until deep into 2023. But eventually, it was surpassed by another song from the record which itself sits in the top 10 over a year after the album’s original release.

That song is “Snooze” which has racked up more than 650 million streams on Spotify alone since the album dropped last year. But earlier today, a twitter user raised some questions about the songwriting credits on the track in a now-deleted tweet. Before they got the chance to erase the post though, Punch from TDE made a quote tweet clarifying things. “lol. Y’all gotta chill. SZA wrote every word. Leon made the beat with Babyface and a couple others,” he explained. Check out his tweet and the various fan responses below.

Read More: SZA Loves Creed & Nickelback, And You Should Too

Punch Explains Who Wrote SZA’s “Snooze”

Earlier this week, SZA began teasing a deluxe edition of SOS coming soon. The new version is called LANA and she first announced it earlier this year. The project doesn’t have a confirmed release date yet. But the various teases she shared on Instagram seem to indicate that it could be close. The deluxe edition of her previous album CTRL wasn’t released until 2022, a full 5 years after the album originally dropped.

Earlier this month, SZA spoke on one of the most controversial elements of modern music, leaked songs. She didn’t hold anything back promising fans that any tracks of her that got leaked wouldn’t ever be officially released. While she hasn’t been subjected to nearly as many leaks as some other artists, SZA was still frustrated by the possibility. What do you think of Punch’s response to a fans questions about who wrote SZA’s “Snooze?” Let us know in the comment section below.

Read More: SZA’s “Kill Bill” Among Bill Nye’s Top Songs Of 2023

[Via]

The post SZA “Wrote Every Word” Of “Snooze” Punch From TDE Reveals appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

SZA Teases “Lana” Deluxe Album: What We Know

by

SZA is one of the hottest hip hop/R&B acts on the face of the Earth right now, with her 2022 album SOS continuing to bring in accolades and drive incredible sales. The deluxe edition of the album, titled Lana, is expected to drop in the near future, with the “Kill Bill” singer initially claiming the project was slated for a Fall 2023 release. While SZA has remained highly cryptic with the details of the upcoming project, there are a few key pieces of information that we have confirmed thus far.

SZA Has Shared Over Half A Dozen Possible Covers For The Project

SZA took to Instagram to share a series of images, each highlighted by a caption reading simply “LANA.” The images, which range from shots of the singer flanked by farm animals or camping out surrounded by nature, are a far cry from the cover image of SOS. On the SOS cover, SZA can be seen overlooking the crashing waves of a treacherous and choppy sea beneath her, from a vantage point atop a long diving board. The image invokes themes of solitude, loneliness, and misunderstanding, each representing central themes of the album’s content.

If these new cover variants exist to provide fans with an understanding of the themes present on Lana, the album will likely focus on concepts such as growth, fertility, and tapping into the natural spaces around oneself. One image in particular sees SZA standing in a lush green field, draped with vines and leaves in place of her usual flowing locks.

The Album Will Contain Brand New Music

Though Lana was first billed as a deluxe outing for SOS, it seems the project has grown into a full-length creation all its own. SZA recently explained that the album began as a simple compilation of B-sides but now contains a host of new music that she has worked on since the release of her last studio album over one year ago.

When she first discussed the project back in August, SZA referred to Lana as a 7-10 track outing, which would be less focused on being a cohesive body of work and geared more toward releasing songs that couldn’t find a home on the 23-track run of SOS. As she continued working on the project, it seemed as though SZA’s perspective on Lana had changed, with the singer telling Variety, “I can’t tell if now’s the time to be careless, or consistent” back in September.

The Album’s Title Carries A Special Significance

When SZA first announced Lana as a deluxe title for SOS, many fans wondered who or what the title could be referencing. Apparently, SZA, whose real name is Solána Imani Rowe, has taken on Lana as something of an alter ego. According to the “Gone Girl” performer, this stems from a tattoo she got when she was 13. Apparently, some friends were providing tattoos for $10 per letter, and SZA had $40 to spend, resulting in her choosing Lana for no particular reason.

Beyond that, the tracklist, release date, and features for Lana have all remained unconfirmed, leaving fans with very little information to parse through. Of course, SZA’s latest photo dump of potential Lana covers seems to have signaled significant progress on the project, meaning a release could be just around the corner.

[Via]

The post SZA Teases “Lana” Deluxe Album: What We Know appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

SZA Says She Prefers Writing About “Embarrassing” Experiences: “I Get Bored”

by

SZA says that she is bored of writing any songs she doesn’t feel are vulnerable. Reflecting on her process during a recent interview with Variety, SZA explained how she likes music that is “super embarrassing.”

“I guess it’s because I get bored as f*ck writing about anything that isn’t, like, super embarrassing,” SZA told Variety. “And I feel like those things that I don’t want to say or acknowledge about myself are (songwriting) material – if it interests me to the point where it’s worth the risk.” From there, she explained that she prefers to sing about the subtler parts of her life. “There’s mad aspects to my life,” SZA said. “But people don’t really know that because all I sing about are the hidden aspects that I think are more interesting. Honestly, I could write about jet-skiing with my friends, but I don’t want to make a song about that, and I don’t want to hear a song about it either.”

Read More: SZA Teases “Lana” With Cover Art Options Celebrating “SOS” 1-Year Anniversary

SZA Attends Variety’s Hitmakers

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 02: SZA accepts the Hitmaker of the Year award onstage during Variety’s. Hitmakers presented by Sony Audio on December 02, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Variety via Getty Images)

Elsewhere in her conversation with Variety, SZA explained that the upcoming deluxe edition of SOS, titled Lana, is beginning to feel like its own project. “It’s definitely turning into its own album… and I guess I could drop a new album randomly, because no one’s actually expecting that from me right now,” she told the outlet. “But I can’t tell if now’s the time to be consistent, or carefree. On the one hand it’s like, ‘What would Beyonce do?,’ but I am also deeply inspired by people who do whatever the fuck they want, like Frank Ocean and Andre 3000. Some of my favorite songs were the ones that I dropped on SoundCloud [early in her career], because it was so stress free.”

SZA Discusses Her Biggest Songs

The comments come after SZA shared several possible cover art choices for Lana on Instagram, on Sunday. Be on the lookout for further updates on SZA on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: SZA’s “SOS” Deluxe Coming This Fall With 7+ New Songs, Ice Spice & Saweetie Attend NYC Show

[Via]

The post SZA Says She Prefers Writing About “Embarrassing” Experiences: “I Get Bored” appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

SZA Fans Think She Finally Revealed The ‘Lana’ Release Date With Her New Cover Art Photo Dump

by
sza 2023
Getty Image

It’s been slightly over a year since SZA released her latest album, SOS, on December 9, 2022. For the past few months, SZA has been teasing a deluxe edition of the album, dubbed Lana (SZA’s full legal name is Solána Imani Rowe). There’s been no release date officially revealed yet, but now fans think SZA has covertly let the cat out of the bag.

In a series of social media posts, SZA shared what appears to be different cover art options for Lana, based on the fact that they’re all in a square aspect ratio, that they all have the parental advisory label on them, and that SZA captioned all the posts, “LANA.” Furthermore, a few of the photos feature SZA wearing a generic sports jersey with the number 15 on it, which has fans thinking the project will be released this Friday, December 15. SZA herself has yet to confirm the speculated release date.

A couple hours before those posts, SZA shared another one reflecting on SOS a year after its release. She wrote:

“a day late but Happy 1 year anniversary to an album that is ACTIVELY CHANGING MY LIFE .. like rn currently changing my life . I haven’t processed this year AT ALL cause it’s still happening .. this is beyond my wildest dreams . I never imagined we’d accomplish a fraction of the accolades that came from this .. it often doesn’t feel real and it’s funny cause I swore I’d know what to do if it ever happened [crying laughing emoji] turns out I I froze .. I know the perils of drinking the koolaid so I won’t dabble in that .. but I have to express the immense GRATITUDE I have for every person that made this possible . Every person that’s been apart of this journey. Thank you to GOD and to my incredible TEAM and My FAMILY . My ancestors . Thank you to every person that streamed this album ,came to a show , blasted it in traffic and connected w ANY part of me . To everyone that continues to believe in me and be patient w me as I figure it all out . your my driving force . I love you [heart hands emoji] [hearts emoji] #campforever #SOSFOREVER.”

SZA Teases “Lana” With Cover Art Options Celebrating “SOS” 1-Year Anniversary

by

SZA teased her new project, Lana, which is what she’s calling the deluxe version of her 2022 album, SOS, on Instagram, on Sunday. In doing so, she shared several pictures that could be possible cover art options. Before that, however, she reflected on the one-year anniversary of SOS.

“A day late but Happy 1 year anniversary to an album that is ACTIVELY CHANGING MY LIFE .. like rn currently changing my life,” she wrote on Instagram. “I haven’t processed this year AT ALL cause it’s still happening. This is beyond my wildest dreams. I never imagined we’d accomplish a fraction of the accolades that came from this .. it often doesn’t feel real and it’s funny cause I swore I’d know what to do if it ever happened . turns out I I froze .. I know the perils of drinking the koolaid so I won’t dabble in that .. but I have to express the immense GRATITUDE I have for every person that made this possible. Every person that’s been apart of this journey.”

Read More: SZA’s “SOS” Deluxe Coming This Fall With 7+ New Songs, Ice Spice & Saweetie Attend NYC Show

SZA Performs On The “SOS” Tour

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – MARCH 19: Singer SZA performs on stage during her ‘The SOS North American Tour’ at Rogers Arena on March 19, 2023 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Andrew Chin/Getty Images)

SZA continued: “Thank you to GOD and to my incredible TEAM and My FAMILY. My ancestors. Thank you to every person that streamed this album, came to a show, blasted it in traffic and connected w ANY part of me. To everyone that continues to believe in me and be patient w me as I figure it all out . your my driving force. I love you.”

SZA Teases “Lana” Cover Art

Afterward, she posted six total photos of herself featuring an explicit content warning all bearing the caption: “Lana.” She’s yet to announce a release date for the project. Check out all of the options for the cover artwork SZA teased on Instagram below. Be on the lookout for further updates on SZA on HotNewHipHop.

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by SZA (@sza)

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by SZA (@sza)

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by SZA (@sza)

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by SZA (@sza)

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by SZA (@sza)

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by SZA (@sza)

Read More: SZA Wears Pasties & A Corset To Beyonce’s Concert In Los Angeles With GloRilla: Photo

[Via]

The post SZA Teases “Lana” With Cover Art Options Celebrating “SOS” 1-Year Anniversary appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

SZA Gets Candid About Anxiety Struggles On Social Media

by

SZA recently opened up about her struggles with anxiety and the fear of missing out on social media in a series of posts on Twitter, Friday. She explained people aren’t taught to be happy and it’s a process of self-learning.

“No one teaches you how to enjoy ur life,” SZA began. “They teach you how to work for it. Desire it. Protect it. Fight tooth n nail for it. Pray for it. Imagine it. Manifest it .. how do u process all the things you’ve prayed for.” From there, she added: “I get anxious posting ab my life then get fomo watching other ppl post then experience way more life so there’s so much more to post and get anxious ab the volume of material then fomo again watching awesome posts then back to experiencing more magical life material I can’t post.”

Read More: SZA Recalls Her First Job At A Sneaker Store

SZA Performs On “The SOS Tour”

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – MARCH 19: Singer SZA performs on stage during her ‘The SOS North American Tour’ at Rogers Arena on March 19, 2023, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Andrew Chin/Getty Images)

It’s not the first time SZA has spoken about difficulties with her mental health. She previously revealed that her high school experience was “shitty,” during an interview with PEOPLE. Earlier this year, she explained that she dealt with bullying at the time and described herself as “awkward.” Check out her latest comments below.

SZA Reflects On Her Anxiety

The interview with PEOPLE came after SZA released her second studio album, SOS. She embarked on the SOS Tour, from February to October 2023, to promote the project. Be on the lookout for further updates on SZA on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: SZA Shows Gratitude Toward Her Black Female Fan Base: Watch

[Via]

The post SZA Gets Candid About Anxiety Struggles On Social Media appeared first on HotNewHipHop.