SZA

SZA Explained Why She Didn’t Write A Speech To Accept The ‘Billboard’ Woman Of The Year Award

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SZA had an off day between her February 28 show at Boston’s TD Garden and tonight’s (March 2) show at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center on her headlining SOS Tour. Well, SZA has had the No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 for 10 nonconsecutive weeks since SOS arrived in December, so her off day was spent at Billboard‘s Women In Music 2023 event in Los Angeles last night.

Unsurprisingly, SZA was there to accept Woman Of The Year. The “Kill Bill” mastermind began by thanking her inner circle, including her parents (who were in attendance), before launching into her improvised speech.

Read it in full below.

“A couple days ago, MeLisa was like, ‘You should probably’ — I was about to go on stage. Every day before I go on stage — I’m on tour right now, but today’s my day off on tour. But [MeLisa] was like, ‘You should take time to write your speech.’ And I’m like, ‘OK,’ and then [I heard], ’10 seconds to stage!’ And I’m like, ‘OK.’ So, I didn’t write anything, but that’s also not who I am. I’m a very off-the-dome kind of person.

I guess what I wanted to say is there’s so many women in this room right now that I respect so deeply. This could have been any of us in the room, whether it’s Lana Del Rey or Olivia Rodrigo or Chlöe or Doechii, who’s a f*cking star. Or Latto. Or even Coi [Leray], my very own Jersey baby.

I think, sometimes, there’s a misconception that everybody always feels like that girl. Like, ‘Oh, I know I’m that b*tch, and I have a lot of confidence.’ And I feel like, it’s OK to not be that person all the time. I used to feel like I didn’t belong because I don’t always feel like that, but I realized that the key is to stay open and available for whatever the universe or God wants to do with your life.

And it’s like, even when you don’t know who you are or you may not see — I don’t know why I’m 10 weeks on [the Billboard 200]! I’m grateful, but I really just want my life to be more than music. To be more than an artist. I wanna serve others. I want to serve people. I want to be open and available to whatever God wants for me. And saying yes to everything that’s scary, to everything that feels like it’s not for you or where you don’t belong is really the only way that we walk through those doors.

So, I just encourage everybody to continue to be inspired and just stay available. You don’t have to be confident. You don’t have to even know that you are the one or anything like that. You just have to say yes to the possibility, and I’m grateful. And thank y’all for saying yes to me. I hope everybody has a blessed night. Thank you very much.”

SZA Was So Nervous To Present At The Grammys That She Questioned Whether She’ll Ever Perform There

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SZA SOS Tour 2023
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SZA is currently on her headlining SOS Tour in support of her massively successful December album by the same name, which is celebrating its record-breaking 10th week atop the Billboard 200 chart.

Before the SOS Tour kicked off last week, SZA was on stage at the 2023 Grammys on February 5 to present Bad Bunny with Best Música Urbana Album for Un Verano Sin Ti.

“I was really freaking out about announcing,” SZA told Alternative Press as one of the publication’s spring 2023 cover stars. “I wasn’t even performing or anything, and [backstage] I was like, ‘Wow, I could never perform because I’m gonna lose it just walking out with a piece of f*cking paper.’ I was shaking like, ‘I’m gonna pass out, no deadass.’ And then, it subsided as I got on there and accepted what it was.”

Elsewhere in the cover story, SZA teased the deluxe edition of SOS and a future appearance on James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke. She admitted to previously turning down an opportunity to be on Carpool Karaoke because she felt “scared of being on camera, looking bad, sounding bad and being perceived,” so maybe she’ll also change her mind about a future Grammys performance.

Either way, based on her recent comments to The Los Angeles Times about Beyoncé controversially losing Album Of The Year, SZA isn’t sweating the Grammys.

“Beyoncé — she’s so much bigger than a[n] f*cking Grammy,” SZA said. “She’s Beyoncé! She’s done it for women, she’s done it for Black people, she’s done it for artists. She’s done so much for the world by just being herself.”

SZA Turned Down James Corden’s ‘Carpool Karaoke’ Because She Was ‘Scared’

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SZA James Corden
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Thanks to the gargantuan success of SZA’s new album SOS, the New Jersey singer has been everywhere lately, including the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 for 10 weeks. Despite not believing that fans would enjoy the album as much as they clearly are, SZA has embraced the attention this time around — which could mean we’ll see her in new places she avoided before.

One of those new places we might be seeing SZA is on James Corden’s popular series, Carpool Karaoke. In a new interview with Alternative Press magazine, SZA explained why she turned the show down the first time around, as well as why she might take a different route if she’s asked again. She says she rejected the prior offer to appear on the show because she was “scared of being on camera, looking bad, sounding bad and being perceived.”

However, she’s since come to terms with all of the above, saying, “I really have to remind myself this is my moment in the sun, and I have to take every opportunity because this sh*t may never happen again.”

She isn’t wrong; Corden’s late-night show, The Late Late Show, will end after nearly 30 years when the host leaves this year. Meanwhile, the fifth season of Carpool Karaoke has returned to Apple+ with guests Chelsea Clinton, Duran Duran, Method Man, and Russell and Ciara Wilson.

SZA’s ‘SOS’ Tops Billboard 200 Chart for 10th Nonconsecutive Week

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SZA Repeats on Top of Billboard 200 with 180K Unit Second Week

SZA’s SOS continues to be a force. Billboard notes the album continues to sit at the top spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart. This week makes the 10th nonconsecutive week on top of the charts for SZA.

Since 2010, there have only been two albums to have a run of 10 weeks or more, Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti, which made a run of 13 weeks last year. Adele’s 25 had 10 nonconsecutive weeks between 2015 and 16.

SOS earned 87,000 equivalent album units for the week, continuing to push past the already achieved platinum status.

SOS earned 87,000 equivalent album units in the week ending February 23, with SEA units accounting for 86,000 (down 7%, equaling 118.39 million on-demand official streaming of the set’s tracks), album sales accounting for 500 (down 21%), and TEA units accounting for 500 (down 8%).

The post SZA’s ‘SOS’ Tops Billboard 200 Chart for 10th Nonconsecutive Week appeared first on The Source.

SZA’s ‘SOS’ Spends Tenth Week At No. 1 On The ‘Billboard’ 200 Chart

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Lizzo declared 2023 would be the year of SZA, and it looks like she may be right. Not only did news break today (February 26), that the singer’s sophomore album, SOS, earned nearly 3 billion streams on Spotify, but it also is celebrating its tenth week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

When the album first reached the top of the charts, the recording artist took to Twitter to post about what the professional accomplishment meant to her. “I appreciate every milestone and accolade but this? As a writer means so f*cking much to me. I aspire to be a better writer every day. Thank you. Wow,” she wrote.

Last month, SZA joined Adele and Taylor Swift as the only women artists to have an album spend at least seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this century.

Meanwhile, SZA is currently on her album’s supporting tour with featured guest Grammy Award-nominated singer Omar Apollo. View the remaining tour dates below.

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

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

SZA’s ‘SOS’ Crossed A Major Streaming Milestone On Spotify, Marking The Second Time For Her

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It hasn’t even been three months since SZA released SOS, and it’s already proven itself a commercial success.

The TDE singer’s long-awaited and critically acclaimed sophomore album debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart and has spent at least nine weeks atop the charts following its December release. The album was also certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) within weeks of its release. Additionally, the project helped the “Snooze” singer break the record for the US’s largest streaming week for an R&B album.

Recently, the singer’s album reached a major milestone on streaming giant Spotify with nearly 3 billion streams. This would be her second album to do so following her 2017 debut project, Ctrl.

“‘SOS’ by @SZA has reached 3 billion streams on Spotify. It’s her second album to achieve this,” Pop Crave reports.

https:/ twitter.com/PopCrave/status/1629681707203829760?s=20

To help promote the album (not that it’s necessary at this point), the singer kicked off her tour earlier this month, kicking off at The Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio.

Joining her on the road as support is Grammy-nominated singer Omar Apollo. The tour is expected to go on until the end of March, with its final show at The Kia Forum in Los Angeles.

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

SZA Said Beyoncé ‘Is So Much Bigger Than A F*cking Grammy’

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SZA Astroworld November 2022
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In a recent interview with the The Los Angeles Times, SZA got very candid about her meteoric rise from an alternative R&B star to a pop phenomenon. However, it was the TDE singer’s statement about her recent album, S.O.S., and the 2024 Grammys that stood out. SZA said she doesn’t want to speculate on her fate at next year’s award show for fear of manifesting herself as an outcome similar to this year’s award show where Beyoncé — who was nominated for record, song, and album of the year— failed to win any awards in the main categories that night.

“Beyoncé — she’s so much bigger than a[n] f*cking Grammy,” SZA said. “She’s Beyoncé! She’s done it for women, she’s done it for Black people, she’s done it for artists. She’s done so much for the world by just being herself.”

SZA also touched on the rampant misogyny running throughout the music industry. “I was tired and angry, ” she said. “I feel like men just pick on women so much in music, it’s corny. Women sell so much music! A lot of y’all that are talking down on women — we sell more records than you. We literally make more money.”

The singer also touched on the extreme misogyny that Megan The Stallion has experienced for nearly two years since being shot in the foot by Tory Lanez and the accompanying trial that followed.

“Why did we require so much from Megan to have empathy for her?” SZA said. “It was inhumane how it all went, with the bizarre level of scrutiny on her sex life. But justice was served. I hope that Megan’s somewhere healing.”

SZA Says Chlöe Is “Going To Be A Legend”

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Just over two months after SZA had her monumental moment with her S.O.S. studio album in December, Chlöe is set to have her’s. SZA’s sophomore studio album spent four weeks as the No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart. Additionally, her album landed her the honor of Billboard Woman of the Year. For this, she did an interview with the publication and spoke about a variety of topics including other women in music. While discussing this, SZA mentioned that she thinks Chlöe has her best days ahead of her. “I love Chloe Bailey and her commitment to perfection — I feel like she’s going to be a legend,” she said.

When news broke of this quote, Chlöe saw a tweet referencing it. She immediately quoted the tweet to return the favor and offer her own admiration to SZA. “love you always @sza. the feeling is mutual,” she said. Later in SZA’s interview, she also showed love to other female musicians like Taylor Swift, Lizzo, Beyoncé, and more. But, the Chlöe praise felt particularly appropriate and timely. Chlöe is currently in the midst of an album rollout for her solo debut LP In Pieces. Ahead of its March 31 release, Chlöe is set to drop the album’s second promotional single “How Does It Feel” with Chris Brown tonight (Feb. 24). This will just be another big step ahead of her highly anticipated full-length release.

Why Chlöe’s Moment Is Now

Since embarking on her solo career away from the Chloe x Halle tandem with her sister, all of Chlöe’s solo singles have been epic. “Have Mercy” is Sept. 2021 and “Treat Me” in April 2022 were both great introductions to her sound as a solo act. Next, “Surprise” in June 2022 and October’s “For The Night” continued to elevate her artistry and songwriting. Then last month (Jan. 27), her lead single “Pray It Away” for In Pieces saw Chlöe successfully begin to build a theme and world for her album.

Although she has not yet made the tracklist available for In Pieces, fans are still excited about what can potentially come from this release. Along with the Chris Brown song, listeners are hoping to see more sensational R&B collaborations for the LP. Perhaps maybe even her friend SZA could join in the party. Either way, though, SZA’s prediction for Chloë’s future s a safe, yet sound one. Chlöe has all the pieces to be a superstar, and her upcoming project will surely show that.

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SZA Claps Back At Critics Following Leaked Tour Video

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TDE songstress SZA is still on a high following the success of her record-breaking album, SOS. The No. 1 selling project was immediately followed by a tour, which the singer began just two nights ago. Fans have already started to share concert clips, one of which made rounds for SZA’s dancing. The brief video, which was made viral by The Neighborhood Talk, has led to comments about SZA’s dancing and weight, among other things.

The “I Hate U” singer was performing the single when she broke out into some questionable choreography. As a result, supporters are weighing in heavily, calling the performance extremely awkward. “She ain’t used to moving all that weight on her body,” one Instagram user suggests. Another wrote: “I love SZA so don’t drag me y’all. But this is what happens when fans complain about artist[s] not dancing. If they not dancing it’s probably because they can’t.” Shortly after, SZA appeared to respond to the backlash with one tweet. “For every critic there’s hundreds of THOUSANDS rooting for u and that’s what tour reminds me of . Y’all make this sh*t worth while . Thank you again .”

SZA Checks Commenters Following Tour Performance

Aside from the performance critique, show attendees also questioned if SZA is expecting. The chart-topper was completely covered up as she hit the stage, with some noticing a slight bump. One fan noted that it may be weight gain after her BBL surgery, which SZA admits to having on SOS’ title track. The line “So classic, that a** so fat it look natural, it’s not” resulted in her legion of fans chiming in yet again. While many urged the star to reveal her surgeon, others were taken aback and wished she hadn’t gone under the knife. “Bring back the old SZA,” a guy tweeted in dismay.

She will continue her tour this Friday, February 24th, as she lands in Detroit for the show’s third leg. Billboard’s 2023 “Woman of the Year” will also be honored at the Los Angeles ceremony on March 1st in celebration of the LP. SOS has held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for nine consecutive weeks. This sees SZA surpassing the late Whitney Houston for the longest-running R&B album in the lead.

The Tour Marches On

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