R&B singer SZA is set to headline Glastonbury later today. When the 34-year old was announced as one of the headline shows for this years event, many were unsure on who she was, if she was a singer, a DJ or even a band. However, if you have never heard of her, that’s on you – as she’s quickly become one of the biggest female artists in the world.
SZA, pronounced ‘scissor’ – whose real name is Solana Imani Rowe – is an American R&B singer-songwriter and has released two studio albums, three EPs, one live album, and 44 singles (11 of which as a featured artist). She took inspiration from rapper RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan for her stage name. The S stands for saviour or sovereign, the ‘Z’ for Zig-Zag and the ‘A’ for Allah – a nod to her Muslim upbringing.
SZA has become one of the most most listened-to artists globally and certainly warrants a top place on the line-up alongside Dua Lipa, Coldplay and Shania Twain. She’s a versatile musician who can rap, as well as belt out a ballad just as easily. Her skewed electronic pop has become widely recognised, and she has quickly gained a decorated career.
Throughout the years, SZA has picked up four Grammy Awards, one Brit Award, an American Music Award, a Guild of Music Supervisors Award, and two Billboard Women in Music awards. She started off independently and quickly became one of the most successful independent artists of all time. She released her first two EP’s in 2013 and 2013, before signing to Top Dawg Entertainment in 2013 – as the first female artist to join the label. Other artists signed to this label include Kendrick Lamar and ScHoolboy.
The artist then signed a joint recording contract with RCA Records, and this is when the star truly started to rise. She then released her debut albun in 2017 called Ctrl and was nominated for four Grammy awards. The album has now been certified triple platinum and it became the second longest-charting R&B album by a female artist on the Billboard 200. She released SOS album in 2022, which topped the Billboard 200 for 10 weeks. She got her first number one with the song Kill Bill and was also named Billboard woman of the year in 2023.
She has a pretty impressive list of collaborators too, with the likes of Drake, Phoebe Bridgers, Justin Timberlake, Maroon 5 and Lizzo all featuring on her songs. As well as writing her own songs, the star has also co-written songs for top artists such as Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Travis Scott and many others. She also featured on Rihanna’s 2014 album ANTI and the Kendrick Lamar-curated soundtrack for Black Panther, she’s also had viral hits on TikTok too.
In her personal life, she famously dated Drake and is rumoured to have had a fling with Kylie Jenner’s ex, Travis Scott. Tongues started wagging when he was spotted at one of her gigs in Manchester in June 2023 and she made a cameo in his video for K-Pop. She was previously engaged to her teenage sweetheart, thought to be fashion designer Scott Sasso, who she dated for 11 years. And speaking to Zane Lowe for Apple Music, she said it was that relationship that inspired her to become a musician. “[I] really only did music to prove a point,” she said. “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 codependent.”
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