It says a lot about an artist's devoted fanbase if they can rally to create a news story out of thin air. SZA's fans were up in arms after she left the ceremony empty handed in 2017. CTRL had received near perfect praise from media consorts and music lovers alike.
SZA sat down with Mariah Smith for GQ. She bemoaned her loss to Alessia Cara in the "Best New Artist" category, much like the rest of us. It didn't sit well, she expected to get her hand raised after a banner year.
"We reached a billion streams on Spotify. The United States fucks with my songs. We’re changing little girls’ lives across the world, and we didn’t even know what we were doing when we started. This is something much bigger than me and a fucking trophy. I’m appreciative of the opportunity. But shit happens."
SZA eventually found peace in seeing the bigger picture:
"I felt a shift. Like, I came a really long-ass way. I didn’t imagine this album doing much anyway. I was so grateful to even have been honored by being nominated and having so many people fuck with my music. I feel like at some point you start to get sucked up into the accolades and you’re like, Oh, this is what this is about, and this is what quantifies my success or me as an artist or a human being."
SZA smoked a bunch of blunts backstage, and chilled with her Grandma in a penthouse to cope with her feels in real time. GQ's co-sign is yet another sign that the songstress has ultimately cemented her star status. Check out the full interview here.