Itâs no secret that 2017 has been a huge year for SolĂĄna Imani Rowe, better known as SZA. After dropping a couple of successful mixtapes (2012âs See.SZA.Run and 2013âs S), SZA released her EP Z in 2014, then threatened to quit the music industry altogether. Lucky for us, she didnât, and instead released her debut LP, Ctrl, earlier this year after feeling liberated by a mushroom trip.
Ctrl was quickly embraced by fans and music critics (including yours truly), and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200. Every song is exceptional: SZA pours her honeyed vocals over catchy melodies with brazen, gritty, and sometimes triggering lyrics that dig into toxic relationships, anxiety, and the unattainability of control. Itâs been called the feminine counterpoint to projects like Bryson Tillerâs Trapsoul and Drakeâs Take Care, as SZA offers a different perspective for a similar narrativeâone thatâs simultaneously vulnerable, confident, and defiant.
She confesses her insecurities on âSupermodelâ and âNormal Girl,â confidently rips apart the stigma of being a sidechick on sultry track âThe Weekend,â and processes feeling like the âotherâ on âDrew Barrymore.â Songs from Ctrl have appeared on several recent episodes of Issa Raeâs HBO series Insecure, and last week SZA released âQuicksandâ especially for the showâs soundtrack. I expect her sold-out Portland concert to be a religious experience.