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SZA. Solána Imani Rowe (born November 8, 1989), known professionally as SZA (/ ˈsɪzə / SIZ-ə), is an American singer-songwriter. She first gained recognition through her self-released EPs See.SZA.Run (2012) and S (2013), which helped her become the first female artist to sign with Top Dawg Entertainment. Her third EP, Z (2014), was her ...
Feb 5, 2024 · After dropping out of college, SZA independently released a pair of EPs: See.SZA.Run in 2012 and S in 2013. ... To date, SZA has released one EP, Z (2014), and two studio albums, ...
Aug 23, 2023 · Sza began her music career in her teenage years, but gained mainstream recognition with the release of her debut EP, “See.SZA.Run,” in 2012. 2. What is Sza’s real name? Sza’s real name is Solána Imani Rowe. 3. How many albums has Sza released? Sza has released two studio albums so far: “Ctrl” in 2017 and “Hit Different” in 2021. 4.
- Overview
- Muslim upbringing and education
- Rise to musical fame: EPs, collaborations, Ctrl, and SOS
SZA (born November 8, 1989, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.) is an American singer-songwriter whose musical style combines elements of rhythm and blues, hip-hop, and soul. She rose to prominence with her debut studio album, Ctrl, in 2017. Her music often explores themes of heartbreak, sexuality, and self-image.
Solána Imani Rowe was born to Audrey Rowe, an executive at AT&T, and Abdul-Alim Mubarak-Rowe, an executive producer for CNN. She was raised in Maplewood, New Jersey, in the orthodox Muslim tradition. She attended a Muslim prep school on top of her regular schooling, frequently wore a hijab, and dressed in baggy clothing to conform to ideals of modesty. She often felt ostracized as one of the few Black people in her predominantly white community, and she experienced bullying after the September 11 attacks in 2001. She often took off her hijab at school in an attempt to fit in. Her relationship with her religion was sometimes fraught while she was growing up, but she remained devoted to it. As she recalled in a 2013 interview, “I’ll feel most comfortable with Islam forever.”
Rowe’s parents noticed her musical talent beginning at a young age. Her father introduced her to jazz artists Miles Davis and John Coltrane, and her mother encouraged her to embrace her vocal talent, even urging her to sing in a middle-school talent show. She also participated in cheerleading, and gymnastics was a focus for 13 years; she was the captain of her gymnastics team and ranked nationally as a sophomore at Maplewood’s Columbia High School, where other students teased her for her interest in mythology and difficulty navigating social situations. As she recalled in a 2023 interview, “I was bullied because I wasn’t quiet and I was awkward at the same time.”
Rowe made important connections in 2011 that bolstered her musical career. She was delivering clothing to members of Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), an independent record label that represented artists including Kendrick Lamar, when TDE copresident Terrence (“Punch”) Henderson heard a recording of her singing and was amazed by her talent. In 2013, after self-releasing her mixtape See.SZA.Run (2012) and an EP, S (2013), SZA became the first female artist signed with TDE.
Her stage name, SZA (pronounced “SIZZ-ah”), is an acronym of letters in the Supreme Alphabet, which was created by Clarence 13X, founder of the Five Percent Nation. As she explained in a 2018 interview, “The S stands for Sovereign or Self, Savior; the Z stands for Zig-Zag-Zig, which is enlightenment and acknowledgment of one’s self; and the A stands for the most high of all,” a reference to Allah.
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In 2014 SZA released a second EP, Z, which, like her first two projects, delivered a dreamlike, enchanting sound. In that same year, she cowrote the song “Feeling Myself,” which was performed by Nicki Minaj and featured Beyoncé. In 2016 she was featured on Rihanna’s album ANTI.
In 2017 SZA released Ctrl, her debut studio album, featuring a contemporary rhythm-and-blues sound and exploring themes of romance, nostalgia, and insecurity. The album, which included the popular songs “Broken Clocks,” “The Weekend,” and “Love Galore,” reached number one on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart and number three on the Billboard 200 chart, and it also received several Grammy Award nominations. In 2018 she collaborated with Kendrick Lamar on the song “All the Stars,” which was featured on the soundtrack of the movie Black Panther. The song earned them several Grammy Award nominations and an Academy Award nomination.
- Timothy Lake
SZA discography. American singer-songwriter SZA has released two studio albums, three extended plays (EPs), one live album, and 44 singles (11 of which as a featured artist). SZA debuted with her self-released EP See.SZA.Run in 2012, followed by the 2013 EP S, gaining the attention of the independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment.
SZA independently released her first EP, See.SZA.Run in 2012. She also independently released S, her second EP and first installment of the self titled acronymous trilogy “SZA,” the following ...
Mar 2, 2022 · SZA biography. Solana Imani Rowe was born on 8th November 1989 in St Louis, Missouri, in the United States. Later, her parents relocated to Maplewood, New Jersey, where he was raised. Her father worked as an executive producer for CNN while her mother was an executive at AT&T Inc.
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