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.
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.
[Via]