The Student News Site of Elmwood Park High School

The Tiger

The Student News Site of Elmwood Park High School

The Tiger

The Student News Site of Elmwood Park High School

The Tiger

SZA

How she became famous:
SZA

SZA is a grammy-winning, R&B artist and well-known for her hit songs “Kill Bill”, “Good Days”, and “Snooze”, and she has accomplished many big hits and awards. In this article, I will be writing about how SZA became an amazing, famous artist.

 

SZA on her Ctrl Tour in Toronto

SZA was born on November 8, 1990, in St. Louis, Missouri, but later moved to Maplewood, New Jersey, where her father was raised. Her actual name is Solana Imani Rowe, but now she goes by SZA (“Sizzah”). Her mother is Christian and her father is Muslim, so she grew up as an Orthodox Islam. When she was young, she would wear a hijab to show her Muslim side of the family. After 9/11, she was bullied for wearing head scarves and this stopped her from wearing them ever again. She went to school at a Muslim preparatory school every day and later enrolled into Columbia High School. 

She was really interested in sports like gymnastics and cheer-leading, graduated in 2008, and spent most of her time listening to different kinds of music. After high school, she left for Delaware State University to study marine biology, but she soon dropped out to focus on a music career instead.

In 2013, SZA signed with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), the label home of Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, and many more. She became the first female artist to join the group and collaborated with her label-mates on several songs, such as “Babylon” with Kendrick Lamar. She also worked with other artists on “All the Star”, “The Black Panther Soundtrack”, and “The Other Side” with Justin Timberlake. She also produced a few songs during that time, including “Good Days”, which reached #9 on Billboard Hot 100 and made a collaboration with Doja Cat on “Kiss Me More”.

Sza wins Grammy Best R&B song for “Snooze”

Fast forward to 2017, where she released another album called Ctrl. This album was a big success and earned many positive reviews from critics and fans. It debuted at Number three on the Billboard 200 chart, selling over 600,000 copies in its first week. It also received 5 Grammy nominations , including Best New Artist, Best Urban Contemporary Album, Best R&B Performance (“The Weekend”), Best R&B Song (“Super Model”), and Best Rap/Sung Performance (“Love Galore”), and SZA won the Grammy for Best Progressive R&B album and Best R&B song. She also gave an amazing performance of two of her biggest hits, “Kill Bill” and “Snooze”.

 The album was adored due to its honesty and power, as SZA explored themes of love. SZA released her album S.O.S. on December 9, 2022, and within a few weeks it  reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album consists of 23 songs and follows the story of all the emotions in a break-up. The album was a huge success and many fans love it. SZA is also coming out with a new album titled Lana in December of 2024.

 

Conclusion

Many of her fans have enjoyed listening to her music and her songs are gaining more streams on Spotify every day. Overall, SZA’s hard work has paid off, and she is getting more fans every day. Thank you for reading my article!

Donate to The Tiger

Your donation will support the student journalists of Elmwood Park High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
About the Contributor
Mireya Vera
Mireya Vera, Staff Reporter
Hi! My name is Mireya Vera and I’m a freshman at Elmwood Park High School. My favorite subject in school is English and my favorite artists are The Weekend and SZA. I'm also on the girls soccer team. My future plan after high school is pursuing a career as a pilot.
Donate to The Tiger