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An SOS to the Music Industry: SZA’s Record-Breaking Success

Riding the crest of her meteoric rise to fame, R&B sensation SZA redefines the music scene with her critically acclaimed SOS album. SZA recently sat down with ELLE Magazine for a far-reaching interview. Check out the interview here or read our summary below:

• SZA’s SOS album has garnered massive success and spent 10 nonconsecutive weeks as the number-one album on the Billboard charts, making her the first solo female artist to achieve this since Adele in 2015-2016.

Read: Ranking Songs on SZA’s CTRL

• SZA’s concert tickets are in high demand, with fans lining up for hours and celebrities like Adele, Kim Kardashian, and Justin Bieber attending her shows.

• SZA’s first arena tour run was a huge success, with sold-out shows and a visually ambitious performance that received praise from fans and critics.

• Despite her success, SZA is hard on herself and feels pressured to constantly improve and put out better work. She is apprehensive about fame and acknowledges its fickle nature.

• SZA’s vulnerability and raw songwriting make her music extraordinary. She tackles uncomfortable admissions and uses her art to bare herself and empower others.

• SZA’s journey in the music industry wasn’t linear, and she faced challenges along the way. She’s determined to prove herself and has a competitive mindset.

• SZA values the support of her family and friends, including fellow artists like Lizzo, and creates space for herself to be authentic and vulnerable.

• SZA’s ultimate goal is to see herself the way God sees her and trust in her value and purpose. She sees music as a way to prove her value to herself.

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Talmage Garn Hip-Hop Music Journalist

Talmage Garn covers hip-hop for 92.5 The Beat with a deep love for the culture — from Gucci Mane to J Dilla, The Clipse to A Tribe Called Quest, and right back to Gucci. When he’s not writing about beats and bars, he’s flipping through music history books, making beats of his own, or getting his hands dirty in the garden. Hip-hop head, book nerd, always digging — crates, kicks, and compost.

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Southern Hip-Hop Memphis Rap sampling (in music) Three 6 Mafia Radio audience measurement (Nielsen PPM) Sound effects & sample libraries Music journalism Interviews Wu-Tang Clan Alternative rock J Dilla Indie rock Hip-hop history Gucci Mane Janelle Monáe Trap music Atlanta Rap Key Glock