SZA Gave Chlöe A Huge Compliment And Got An Equally Loving Message In Return

SZA was named Billboard‘s Woman Of The Year today, February 22. It stands to reason, considering she hasn’t stopped breaking Billboard charting records since the December release of SOS. She has every right to talk her talk right now, but instead, she’s still coming to terms with SOS succeeding at all.

“Right now, I just have extreme gratitude because I swear to God, I never thought I’d be No. 1 for even a week, let alone seven,” SZA told Heran Mamo for the accompanying cover story, speaking of SOS logging seven consecutive weeks (and nine total weeks) at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

She also used the interview to shine a light on other women in music:

“There’s nobody in the industry that f*cks with me and that I f*ck with the way that Lizzo f*cks with me and the way I f*ck with her. She never made me feel like because I don’t have a No. 1 song or I [previously] didn’t have a No. 1 album that I wasn’t capable. She’d been telling me that she thought I was the one for years. The way that she thinks of me so highly as a human being and as an artist means so much to me. I just have never met anybody like her in this entire industry.

“There’s a lot of women I look up to in general that I don’t know personally, but watching them is incredible. Beyoncé, but who doesn’t look up to Beyoncé? I love Jozzy’s and Starrah’s energy. I love the way Nija is from New Jersey and has been able to transmute her energy from being a writer to an artist. Kehlani’s hella effervescent, and you can just feel the energy when she’s performing. I love Chloe Bailey and her commitment to perfection — I feel like she’s going to be a legend. Even Taylor [Swift] letting that whole situation go with her masters and then selling all of those f*cking records. That’s the biggest ‘f*ck you’ to the establishment I’ve ever seen in my life, and I deeply applaud that sh*t.”

Chlöe responded to SZA’s shout-out by tweeting, “Love you always @sza the feeling is mutual.”

Chlöe has a chance to prove SZA right with In Pieces, her debut solo album due out on March 31. She’s already made quite the stir with singles “Pray It Away” and “How Does It Feel” featuring Chris Brown.

Meanwhile, SZA is continuing to ride the success of SOS on her supporting headlining tour, which hits Chicago’s United Center tonight. Omar Apollo is the opener.

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