Solána Imani Rowe, known professionally as SZA, is an American singer-songwriter. She first gained recognition through her self-released extended plays (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 first project to be released to digital retailers and reached the top-ten on the US Independent Albums chart.
Ctrl is the debut studio album by American singer SZA. It was released through Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records on June 9, 2017. The album features guest appearances from Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, James Fauntleroy, and Isaiah Rashad. Production was handled by Craig Balmoris, Frank Dukes, Carter Lang, Scum, and ThankGod4Cody, among others. The album was supported by five singles: "Drew Barrymore", "Love Galore", "The Weekend", "Broken Clocks", and "Garden ", all of which are certified Platinum or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
"Portland" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake featuring American rappers Quavo and Travis Scott from the former's mixtape More Life. The song was sent to rhythmic crossover radio on May 16, 2017 as the fourth single from the tape. The song also appears in the video game NBA 2K18.
"Love" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar featuring American singer Zacari, taken from the former's fourth studio album Damn (2017). It was released to US rhythmic contemporary radio by Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records on October 2, 2017, as the third and final single from the album. Lamar and Zacari wrote the song with its producers Teddy Walton, Sounwave, Greg Kurstin, and Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith.
American singer-songwriter SZA has released two studio albums, three extended plays (EPs), one live album, and 44 singles. 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. She signed to Top Dawg as the label's first woman artist in 2013 and released her third EP, Z, a year later. After Z, she began work on her debut studio album, Ctrl (2017), which debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200, peaked at number two on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and has charted for more than five subsequent years. The album, alongside its Billboard Hot 100 top-40 singles "Love Galore" and "The Weekend", earned her three of her first five Grammy nominations, in 2018. All singles from Ctrl have been certified platinum or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America.
"Broken Clocks" is a song by the American singer SZA. The song was originally released as the first promotional single on June 2, 2017, from her debut studio album, Ctrl. It was later sent to urban contemporary radio as the album's fourth single on January 9, 2018. "Broken Clocks" was written by SZA and producer ThankGod4Cody. It samples "West", which was written by River Tiber, Frank Dukes, and Daniel Caesar and performed by the former. SZA performed the song at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.
"Sky Walker" is a song by American singer Miguel featuring American rapper Travis Scott. It was written by the two artists with Rogét Chahayed and Happy Perez, who produced it with Miguel. The song was released through ByStorm Entertainment and RCA Records on August 25, 2017, as the lead single from Miguel's fourth studio album, War & Leisure. A Spanish version of the song was included on his extended play Te Lo Dije (2019).
"The Weekend" is a song by American singer SZA from her debut studio album, Ctrl (2017). It was written by SZA and its producer ThankGod4Cody. The song samples "Set the Mood (Prelude)" from FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006), written by Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, and Danja, who also received writing credits for "The Weekend". "The Weekend" is an R&B and neo soul record that uses a synth-line, hi-hats, drums, a high-pitched vocal sample and clocking key thumps. SZA sings about knowingly being her partner's mistress, comparing herself to the weekend.
"The London" is a song by American rapper Young Thug featuring American rappers J. Cole and Travis Scott. It was released on May 23, 2019 by Atlantic Records and 300 Entertainment as the lead single from Young Thug's debut studio album So Much Fun on May 23, 2019. Written alongside Babyface and producer T-Minus, it was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 62nd Grammy Awards.
"Garden (Say It like Dat)" is a song by American singer SZA. It was released as the fifth and final single from June 19, 2018, from her debut album, Ctrl (2017). The song was serviced to Urban radios on June 19, 2018, by Top Dawg and RCA. The song was produced by Bēkon and additionally produced by Craig Balmoris.
"Hit Different" is a single by American singer SZA featuring Ty Dolla $ign. The two wrote the song with Rob Bisel and producers The Neptunes. It was recorded at the home of producer DJ Khaled and released through Top Dawg Entertainment on September 4, 2020, days after SZA posted on social media suggesting that the record label had been intentionally pushing back the release date of her music. It is a contemporary R&B torch song about a dysfunctional but tempting relationship.
"Good Days" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA. It was released through Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA on December 25, 2020, as the lead single from her second studio album, SOS (2022). SZA wrote the song alongside Jacob Collier, who provides background vocals, and with producers Carter Lang, Los Hendrix, and Nascent.
"No Love" is a song by American singers Summer Walker and SZA from Walker's second studio album Still Over It (2021). The song was written by Walker, SZA, Sean Garrett, Charles Ocasey Jr and Sony Ramos, and produced by Forthenight. It was sent to rhythmic contemporary radio in the United States as the album’s second single on March 29, 2022. An "Extended Version" with American rapper Cardi B was also released on March 25, 2022 alongside a music video.
"I Hate U" is a song by American singer SZA. It was released through Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records on December 3, 2021, as the second single from SZA's second studio album, SOS (2022). It was originally released on SoundCloud on August 22, 2021. "I Hate U" is an electro-R&B song with a "crunching", light instrumental, containing a relaxed, "ethereal" chorus, and hip hop-influenced verses. A break-up song, it finds SZA detailing what went wrong in a past relationship, expressing resentment towards an ex-partner but acknowledging that she still misses them.
"TwoAM" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA. It is a remix of PartyNextDoor's 2016 single "Come and See Me" featuring Drake, whom SZA briefly dated in 2009. A downtempo song with an R&B instrumental, "TwoAM" is about a dysfunctional couple portrayed in "Come and See Me" and is written from the perspective of the woman in the relationship. She sings about her conflicted feelings for a neglectful boyfriend who values her only for sex; on one hand, she recognizes she must leave him, but on the other, she cannot bring herself to stop being attracted to him.
"Blind" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA and the sixth track on her second studio album, SOS (2022). An R&B and folk-pop song. it was produced by Carter Lang, Rob Bisel, Will Miller and Margaux Alexis Rosalena Whitney and written by Solana Rowe and her producers. The song's lyrics discuss how the toxicity of her previous relationships has negatively affected her reputation and self-esteem and was even claimed to be part of the best lyrics from 2022. "Blind" charted on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Global 200.
"Snooze" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from her second studio album, SOS (2022). It was sent to rhythmic contemporary and urban contemporary radio as the sixth single from the album on April 25, 2023. SZA wrote the song with producers Babyface, the Rascals, and BLK. The acoustic version features Canadian singer Justin Bieber, who stars in the official music video of the song's original version, and was released on September 15, 2023.
"Low" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from her second album, SOS (2022). The song features adlibs from American rapper Travis Scott. It charted in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, with a number 24 peak on the Billboard Global 200. The song received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 66th ceremony.
"Open Arms" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from her second studio album, SOS (2022), featuring American rapper Travis Scott. It is a ballad backed by an acoustic guitar, conceived as part of an effort to explore soundscapes outside of SZA's usual R&B-leaning music. The lyrics are addressed to a former lover, whom the narrator leaves for the sake of her self-esteem despite her persistent feelings of attachment to him. A tribute to SZA's deceased grandmother, Norma Rowe, begins the song, done in the form of a skit. Rowe's vocals featured prominently on SZA's debut album, Ctrl (2017); "Open Arms" is the only SOS track on which she appears.
Tyran Donaldson II, also known as Scum, Pete Nebula and The Antydote, is an American songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist best known for his work with Rihanna ("Consideration"), SZA, Kendrick Lamar, and Isaiah Rashad, among many others. He is currently an in-house producer for label Top Dawg Entertainment.
