The immediate headline from SZA’s Hot Ones episode that dropped today (September 26) is what’s going with (or “on,” more accurately) her face: She did the whole show in a facial prosthetic that makes her look like a bug.
SZA explained it at about 12 minutes into the episode, saying, “This one brings me so much peace of mind. It just… in the realm of, like, being a person is so daunting, and like being your own skin and […] just the freedom of… of yeah, for no other reason other than I’m just tired of being not a bug. It’s like, ‘What the f*ck?’ Wouldn’t you want to be a bug if you could be anything else?”
Meanwhile, starting at about six minutes into the video, SZA satisfied her curiosity about host Sean Evans. She asked about his relationship status and wondered why he’s not married, saying, “Do you feel like this is more exciting than any connection you have with the opposite sex?” With a smile, Evans explained how the show “meets me halfway all the time,” adding, “What I put into it, I get out of it.” He concluded by saying he has an “honest relationship” with Hot Ones.
SZA replied, “I f*ck with that. I wish I could say the same for music.” She continued, “It’s just not honest enough for me. I never know what’s happening. I be like, ‘I thought you liked this?’ And then they’re like, ‘No, stupid. We hate this! We want more of this,’ and it’s just so confusing. I’m just like, ‘What… does my boyfriend love me?’ It’s abusive, but it’s also very fulfilling and validating. I’m in a different type of relationship. You have a good thing.” She then agreed with Evans’ takeaway that SZA is in a “toxic relationship with music.”
Check out the full episode above.