SZA, born Solána Imani Rowe on November 8, 1989, is an American singer-songwriter known for her unique blend of R&B, alternative, and hip-hop influences. While she has achieved significant success in the music industry, her Nigerian heritage plays a vital role in shaping her artistic identity and musical expression.
SZA's album "SOS" showcases her eclectic musical style.
Early Life and Influences
Solána Imani Rowe was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in Maplewood, New Jersey, with parents who are from the Southern United States. Due to her upbringing, SZA has practiced several religious beliefs throughout her life. She believes in a "higher power or presence [...] that's running and moving the world like a well-oiled machine," regardless of religion. She has practiced and identified with Christianity, and she considers herself Muslim. Apart from Abrahamic faiths, she incorporates Hinduism in her personal belief system.
SZA cites a diverse range of artists as her inspirations, including Meelah, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, LFO, Macy Gray, Common, Björk, Jamiroquai, and "a lot of Wu, Nas, Mos Def, Hov". Speaking on her influences, SZA said: "[My] personal influences came from dancing with American Ballet Theatre and doing pieces to Björk [music]. That's the only time I had really any outside influence to music. So, the people that I fell in love with on a musical level were always much older. Jamiroquai is just, like, the shit for me."
Musical Beginnings and Career
SZA first met members of Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) during the CMJ New Music Report in 2011, when her boyfriend's clothing company sponsored a show in which Kendrick Lamar was performing. SZA's early music was shared with TDE president Terrence "Punch" Henderson, who was impressed by the quality of the material. SZA's early music was recorded with friends and neighbors; many of the beats were taken from the Internet.
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SZA self-released her debut extended play (EP) See.SZA.Run on October 29, 2012. The extended play was met with positive reviews upon release. During 2014, SZA befriended record producer ThankGod4Cody during a time when he was working on music for Rashad. One time, she overheard him making a beat from the next room, and they decided to build a song out of it.
Breakthrough and Critical Acclaim
Under the TDE label, she released the lo-fi and psychedelic EP Z (2014) and her R&B debut album Ctrl (2017). The latter was critically acclaimed; it placed in several year-end lists and earned SZA five Grammy Award nominations in 2018. After Ctrl, she embarked on a four-year series of collaborations, including with Kendrick Lamar and Doja Cat on the top-ten singles "All the Stars" (2018) and "Kiss Me More" (2021).
With her acclaimed and eclectic second album SOS (2022), SZA broke several chart records. The album became the first by a woman to spend 100 weeks in the Billboard 200's top-ten and broke the record for the longest-running US top-ten by a Black musician. Its fifth single, "Kill Bill", was the third best-selling song of 2023 and peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100.
From 2024 to 2025, SZA achieved a string of top-tens with "Saturn" and "30 for 30", both from the deluxe reissue of SOS entitled Lana (2024), and her longest-running US number-one "Luther".
Incorporating Nigerian Heritage
While SZA's music is not explicitly Nigerian, her cultural background subtly influences her artistic expression. The rhythms, melodies, and overall feel of her songs reflect a fusion of R&B with African influences. This blend creates a unique sound that resonates with a diverse audience.
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Nigerian-American artists like Yinka also embrace their heritage in their music. Yinka, born in Benue, infuses her music with a blend of alternative R&B and Nigerian influences, creating a sound that is both familiar and fresh. Her debut project, ‘Let’s Get Romantic’, showcases her ability to blend her American and Nigerian identities into her music.
Similarly, Dyo, a British-Nigerian artist, creates a captivating blend of soulful vocals layered over melodic beats, with jazz, afrobeats and R&B influences. Her Nigerian heritage has influenced her music greatly in the rhythms she chooses, melodies and the overall feel.
The evolution of Nigerian music showcases the rich heritage that influences artists like SZA.
Artistic Style and Identity
SZA self-identifies with the label "alternative", and she has resisted being categorized solely as R&B throughout her career. Critics have frequently described SZA as an R&B singer-songwriter, a narrative for which she has expressed disdain since the beginning of her career. SZA identifies with the label "alternative", a subgenre of R&B that borrows from other genres like rock music. In her view, her being described as a contemporary R&B artist in the media is restrictive and racially prejudiced.
SZA also thinks of songwriting as a form of self-therapy, using it to record and resolve her struggles. However, when she tries to draw from her experiences and emotions, the weight of the pain can be too much to bear. Several of SZA's works are the result of improvisation. Because she writes to express whatever comes to her mind, she tends to freestyle and produce stream-of-consciousness songs.
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Collaborations and Recognition
SZA is known for her work relationship with former TDE labelmate Kendrick Lamar. Dubbed by SZA as her "sensei", Lamar has inspired her to take risks and experiment when making music. Many other artists have worked with SZA multiple times. One of her earliest collaborators was rapper Mac Miller, who produced two songs from Z. SZA and singer and rapper Lizzo, whom she befriended after a 2013 Red Bull tour, once considered starting a rock band.
SZA has earned numerous accolades throughout her career, including five Grammy Awards, a Brit Award, three American Music Awards, a Guild of Music Supervisors Award, and two Billboard Women in Music awards, including Woman of the Year. She has co-written songs for artists such as Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé, Travis Scott, Schoolboy Q, and Rihanna.
In 2023, NME called SZA one of the most influential voices in contemporary music. In 2025, Billboard ranked SZA as the 44th-greatest R&B musician of all time.
SZA's numerous awards highlight her impact on the music industry.
Personal Life and Beliefs
SZA is known for keeping her dating life private. Her known former partners include Drake, whom she dated in 2009. Another is an unnamed fashion designer, with whom she was in a relationship for eleven years, five years of which were spent engaged to be married. She attributes the beginning of her career in part to him, who helped finance her everyday needs; she described her relationship with him as codependent.
SZA has also advocated for social justice. In 2021, she partnered with American Forests and tea brand Tazo to address environmental harm that disproportionally affects Black and Brown communities. SZA has been candid about her struggles with mental health, describing the music industry as "one of the most stressful, psychosis-inducing industries". She became depressed and developed suicidal thoughts after the sudden deaths of three ex-boyfriends in quick succession.
Discography
| Album | Year | Notable Songs |
|---|---|---|
| See.SZA.Run (EP) | 2012 | N/A |
| Z (EP) | 2014 | Babylon, Child's Play |
| Ctrl | 2017 | Love Galore, The Weekend |
| SOS | 2022 | Kill Bill, Good Days |
| Lana (Deluxe) | 2024 | Saturn, 30 for 30 |
