SZA

SZA Triumphs at the 2024 Grammy Awards with Three Wins

SZA emerged as one of the standout performers at the 2024 Grammy Awards, capturing three prestigious trophies. The artist, born Solána Rowe, entered the event as the most nominated artist and concluded the evening with significant accolades.

During the ceremony, the 33-year-old performed and later won the award for Best R&B Song with her track “Snooze.” Additionally, SZA secured the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance award for her collaboration with Phoebe Bridgers on “Ghost In The Machine,” and the Best Progressive R&B Album award for her critically acclaimed album, SOS. These victories occurred before the televised segment of the Grammys.

Overwhelmed by her success, SZA expressed her gratitude during her acceptance speech. “I came really, really far, and I can’t believe this is happening, and it feels really fake and—hi, Taylor,” she said, momentarily interrupted by the presence of Taylor Swift. “I’m just really grateful.”

Despite her impressive haul, SZA’s bid for Album of the Year was bested by Taylor Swift, who won the award for Midnights during the final presentation of the night.

Who Is SZA?

SZA, whose birth name is Solána Rowe, is a Grammy-winning R&B artist celebrated for her chart-topping singles including “Kill Bill,” “Good Days,” and “Snooze.” Her career began with independently released music that garnered the attention of Top Dawg Entertainment, leading to her signing with the label as its first female artist in 2013. SZA’s debut album, Ctrl (2017), received widespread acclaim and achieved platinum status. Her subsequent album, SOS (2022), not only topped the Billboard 200 album chart but also featured her first No. 1 single, “Kill Bill,” and earned her the Grammy Award for Best Progressive R&B Album in 2024. Throughout her career, SZA has collaborated with notable artists including Rihanna, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar. Additionally, her duet with Doja Cat, “Kiss Me More,” won a Grammy in 2022.

Early Life

Solána Imani Rowe, professionally known as SZA, was born on November 8, 1990, in St. Louis, Missouri. Her stage name, pronounced “siz-za,” is inspired by a division of Islam’s supreme alphabet, where S stands for sovereign or savior, Z represents zig-zag, and A signifies Allah.

Rowe spent much of her formative years in Maplewood, New Jersey, a suburb of New York City. Her parents, Abdul Mubarak-Rowe and Audrey Rowe, pursued careers in media; her father worked with CNN while her mother was employed by AT&T. Despite their shared professional background, they held differing personal religious beliefs. Abdul, a devout Muslim, chose to raise their children in the Orthodox Islamic faith, a choice that Audrey, a Christian, supported by participating in mosque prayers.

In addition to enrolling Rowe in a Muslim preparatory school, Abdul imposed restrictions on media consumption, limiting her musical exposure to his collection of jazz legends such as Miles Davis and Billie Holiday. Rowe’s musical interests expanded when her older half-sister, Panya, moved in and introduced her to a variety of contemporary genres, including Wu-Tang Clan and Lil Jon. Her curiosity for music grew further after she accessed a gymnastics teammate’s iPod, which featured hip-hop artists like Common and Mos Def, as well as the distinctive sounds of Björk.

Following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Rowe, one of the few Muslims in her community, faced verbal harassment. In response, she chose to abandon her traditional religious attire and assimilate with her peers, becoming a cheerleader at Columbia High School.

Rowe initially pursued a degree in marine biology at Delaware State University but shifted her focus to working as a bartender and dancer at local clubs. She later attended the Fashion Institute of Technology for a brief period before her burgeoning music career began to take prominence.

Music Career

In 2011, SZA was employed by the clothing label 10Deep, where she was responsible for distributing merchandise at a Kendrick Lamar concert. During the event, a friend played some of SZA’s mixtapes, capturing the attention of Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) co-president Terrence “Punch” Henderson, leading to an ongoing professional relationship.

After leaving college, SZA independently released two EPs: See.SZA.Run in 2012 and S in 2013. The former received acclaim for its atmospheric track “Country,” with The Guardian comparing her to prominent R&B artists such as Frank Ocean and The Weeknd. S featured the ethereal “Ice Moon” and incorporated unique elements, including samples from the horror film Rosemary’s Baby, further establishing SZA as a notable artist. This growing recognition culminated in a record deal with TDE in 2013, marking her as the label’s first female artist.

Initially, SZA contributed as a guest artist on tracks by fellow TDE members like Isaiah Rashad. Her vocal prowess soon attracted collaboration offers from other artists, including R&B singer Jill Scott for “Divinity” in 2014 and Rihanna for “Consideration” in 2016.

In 2017, SZA entered into a joint deal with TDE and RCA Records, releasing her highly anticipated debut album. Her mainstream visibility was further enhanced through collaborations with Maroon 5 on “What Lovers Do,” and she continued to work with notable artists including Kendrick Lamar on the 2018 single “All the Stars” from the Black Panther soundtrack, Justin Timberlake on “The Other Side” from the Trolls World Tour soundtrack (2020), and Drake on the 2023 Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Slime You Out.”

SZA has garnered praise not only for the candidness of her lyrics but also for her distinctive vocal quality, described as “ethereal” and “dripping with honey.” Despite facing challenges due to vocal strain, which led her to withdraw from TDE’s The Championship Tour in May 2018, SZA reassured fans about her health and returned to perform at the Firefly Music Festival later that year.

Following the release of her studio albums, SZA has headlined two of her own tours. In 2023, she embarked on the SOS Tour, her first series of arena concerts, spanning cities across Europe, the United States, and Canada.

Songs and Albums

SZA has achieved notable success with several chart-topping singles, including the No. 1 hits “Kill Bill” and “Slime You Out,” the latter being a collaboration with Drake. Her discography also features popular tracks such as “Love Galore,” “Snooze,” and “Good Days.” To date, SZA has released one EP, Z (2014), and two studio albums, Ctrl (2017) and SOS (2022), under prominent record labels.

Z

On her debut EP with a major label, Z (2014), SZA advanced her unique, genre-blending sound. The EP featured notable tracks such as “Babylon,” a collaboration with label-mate Kendrick Lamar; “Child’s Play,” featuring Chance the Rapper; the soulful “Sweet November”; and the ‘80s-inspired “Julia.” Reflecting her increasing mainstream visibility, Z achieved a top 40 position on the Billboard 200 upon its release.

Ctrl

Frustrated with the lengthy process of producing her debut full-length album, SZA tweeted “I actually quit” in October 2016. Fortunately for her fans, this statement did not signal the end of her efforts. In June 2017, she released Ctrl, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and eventually earned platinum certification.

Ctrl garnered widespread critical acclaim for its profound storytelling and emotional depth. The album featured tracks like “Love Galore,” with Travis Scott, which explored the complexities of a toxic relationship; “Drew Barrymore,” a reflection on feelings of inadequacy; and “The Weekend,” which delved into themes of shared affection. SZA’s willingness to express her raw emotions was evident throughout the album. Her remarkable work on this No. 1 R&B album earned her five Grammy nominations in 2018, though she did not win any awards, surprising many.

SOS by SZA

SZA’s latest album, SOS, made a remarkable debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in December 2022. The album notably surpassed a 54-year record previously held by Aretha Franklin, becoming the longest-running No. 1 album by a female artist on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with a record 22 weeks at the top.

In April 2023, the album’s standout track, “Kill Bill,” achieved the milestone of SZA’s first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and maintained its position at the top of the Hot R&B Songs chart for 30 weeks. Additionally, SOS produced four other top-10 hits: “Snooze,” “Nobody Gets Me,” “I Hate U,” and “Good Days.”

SZA has described the tracks on SOS as explorations of “bizarre acts of self-embarrassment,” drawing from the more vulnerable aspects of her life. She remarked to Variety, “There are many facets to my life, but I focus on the hidden aspects that I find more intriguing. I could write about jet-skiing with friends, but that’s not the kind of song I want to create or listen to.”

Grammy Awards

SZA has garnered four Grammy Awards from 24 nominations throughout her career.

Her initial win came in 2022 for her collaboration with Doja Cat on the hit single “Kiss Me More,” which secured the award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

At the 2024 Grammy Awards, SZA entered the ceremony as the most nominated artist of the year, with nine nominations. Her song “Kill Bill” was nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best R&B Performance. Additionally, her album SOS received nominations for Album of the Year and Best Progressive R&B Album. SZA ultimately won in the categories of Best Progressive R&B Album for SOS, Best R&B Song for “Snooze,” and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Ghost In The Machine,” featuring Phoebe Bridgers.

Personal Style: SZA Crocs

SZA, standing at 5 feet 4 inches, is recognized not only for her musical talent but also for her distinctive personal style. Her renowned voluminous hair, which she embraces fully after recovering from an illness in middle school that caused temporary hair loss, is a significant part of her look.

A notable aspect of SZA’s fashion sense is her affinity for Crocs. In a conversation with People, she shared that she wears Crocs “at all times and anywhere” because they provide both comfort and style. Her collaboration with the American footwear brand includes two custom collections. The first, launched in May 2022, featured an earthy design with custom charms symbolizing elements that help her stay “grounded, calm, and collected.” The second collection, released in December of the same year, showcased a distressed denim pattern adorned with nostalgic charms such as a flip phone and a floppy disk.