SZA Reveals How Her Songwriters Hall Of Fame Award "Validates My Entire Career"

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2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards - Press Room
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 01: SZA, winner of the R&B Song of the Year, R&B Album of the Year, and R&B Artist of the Year awards, poses in the press room during the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre on April 01, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
SZA was thrilled by the honor.

SZA says that receiving the Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall Of Fame Award has "validated" her entire career through this point. She discussed her reaction to the honor as well as what it means to her on stage at the 2024 Induction and Awards Gala, earlier this week.

“As an artist, I’ve been a lot of different people. I’ve been 200 pounds; I’ve been 130 pounds. I’ve been someone who doesn’t dance at all on stage… to someone who is dancing and trying their best and I think, ‘Oh man, I struggle with the artist thing,’ but writing was where I felt like a person, and I had value and showed that I was smart. It was beyond ‘Am I pretty? Am I Liked?’ and that meant everything to me. It made me feel like a person that was doing something worth something. Basically, receiving this award validates my entire career… Thank you for seeing me," she said.

SZA Accepts The Hal David Starlight Award

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 13: SZA speaks onstage during the 2024 Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Gala at New York Marriott Marquis Hotel on June 13, 2024, in New York City. (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame)

A number of iconic artists have been recipients of the Hal David Starlight Award in recent years. Some of the previous winners include John Legend, Ne-Yo, Drake, Lil Nas X, and Post Malone. “This is such an exciting time for songwriters and music. Phenomenal artists like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are pushing the envelope of what success looks like but who could argue that the last two years belong to SZA,” SHOF Chairman Nile Rodgers said in the statement as caught by Revolt. “Incredible songwriting, incredible performances, incredible artistry. She so deserves to be the 2024 recipient of the Hal David Starlight Award!”

SZA Reflects On Her Career

In other news, SZA is currently working on her long-awaited deluxe version of SOS, which she's titled LANA. Due to various leaks, the project has dealt with numerous delays. Be on the lookout for further updates on SZA on HotNewHipHop.

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About The Author
Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.