SZA has proven once again her aptitude for making history. For the ninth non-consecutive week, the 33-year-old singer has earned Billboard's No. 1 spot for her sophomore release, SOS. According to the outlet, the project has earned 93,000 equivalent album units. SZA now joins Adele and Taylor Swift as female artists who've charted No. 1 for nine weeks. The English songstress earned the top spot with her album 23 for ten weeks, whereas the country-turned-pop star previously held the spot for nine weeks with 1989.
In a conversation with the New York Times, SZA reflected on her approach to SOS. “I didn’t even know how to make [the album] cause I didn’t have a purpose,” she dished. The TDE star also explained how Ctrl had been a way to prove her ability to create an album. But now, SZA says, “I did everything I wanted to do.” Regardless, her latest effort has been met with high acclamations from fans, with tracks like "Snooze," "Nobody Gets Me," "Low," and "Shirt" listed as her most popular tracks according to Spotify. "Kill Bill" has also rightfully been receiving attention, charting at No. 2 following every week since its drop.
SZA's "SOS" Charts No. 1 For The Ninth Week
The highly anticipated album was released last December. It marked SZA's first full project since her 2017 debut studio effort, Ctrl. Since then, the Missouri-born singer has released various singles and collaborations. She recently dropped Grammy award-nominated "Good Days" and "Hit Different" featuring Ty Dolla $ign. While SZA received primarily positive feedback from SOS, she was criticized for making "sad girl music.” The lyricist addressed these accusations in her NYT interview, explaining that “sad-girl energy has always been my energy. It’s never been, like, bitch-girl energy.”
Even with haters finding a way to nitpick SOS, the work as a whole is an incredible display of SZA's refined taste in modern R&B. Her melodic additions to soft beats infuse magically to inflict emotional insights. Needless to say, SOS proudly inhibits "sad girl energy," creating the perfect soundtrack for comforting a heartbreak. While only time will tell if SZA will surpass the ten-week mark for top album, her SOS Tour commences this week in Columbus, OH. Revisit the starlet's "Kill Bill" music video below.