Grammy-nominated artist SZA has been on a winning streak for the past few months. Between working on new music and making her acting debut in 2025, fans will have enough SZA content to satisfy them for the entire year.
The music star has now taken a step back and treated herself to some well-deserved personal time. While she preps for the next few months of shows, let’s take a look at her achievements this past year!
Soon to appear as a halftime special guest for the Super Bowl LIX, to teasing more music from SOS later this year, SZA will be doing all that and more.
First Movie Appearance: One of Them Days
SZA has made her way to the big screens at the start of 2025 with co-star Keke Palmer. The comedy film One of Them Days came out on January 17, 2025, and focuses on two characters on what can only be described as one of their worst days.
The movie follows Dreux (Keke Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA) struggling to come up with rent money before the end of the day. It won’t be easy for them, of course, as they’ll have to overcome various tasks that will put their friendship to the test.
Up to the release date, SZA, Keke Palmer, and Issa Rae have been on a press tour promoting the movie. They appeared on Hot Ones Versus together and have since been interviewed by various YouTube channels.
Through interviews, the audience can see SZA and the group open up about personal experiences and how they started off. The chemistry between the three is electrifying, and if you haven’t already seen the movie, now is the perfect time.
One interesting note that audiences learned about SZA was that she felt like she was never meant to be famous. An exclusive with Extra describes how she never grew up famous, and it was thanks to her fans for being interested in her music and personality/brand.
“Some people are very well acclimated in being perceived and also have a different mechanism to approach [it]… but for me, it’s a little bit harder to be so comfortable when I don’t really know what’s going on… I’ve never been examined in this way.
While she expressed uncertainty when asked if she would do another acting project, this seems to be a start. Maybe she’ll incorporate more acting within her music videos and feature Keke Palmer or Issa Rae in one of them.
This movie has truly opened more doors, so maybe we’ll see the power duo on the next Issa Rae project.
The Deluxe We’ve Been Waiting For
SZA has without a doubt become a global artist in her own right. Her critically acclaimed debut album Ctrl caught the eye of almost everyone in the music industry.
From there, the audience got to see her perform and be featured on even bigger artists’ albums, such as Kendrick Lamar’s. However, there was always one question coming from fans: “When’s the next album?”
She did not disappoint fans because, in 2022, we were introduced to SOS. The 23-track album had tons of surprises, but in SZA fashion, she left a few songs out. While she teased the missing tracks, she promised fans the deluxe version of SOS soon.
It has finally arrived: SOS: LANA, the deluxe, and what could be considered its own album alone. Adding 15 more songs to the tracklist, it was clear that LANA was meant to stand alone as a project.
A reporter from Pitchfork gave LANA an 8.8 and continued to describe their experience while listening to the album:
“Lana contains elements of Latin jazz, new age, psych-rock, soul, and ’90s R&B, among many other things. This (on-paper) clash of form and function means that SZA’s music feels both electrifyingly current and built to last”
LANA has been a hit for many fans, with the most streamed songs being “BMF” and “Saturn”.
She also teased even more music! She captioned a post with a message to her fans to wait patiently while she works on approving samples for some of the songs, writing,
“Yall annoying but I love you. Everytime a change is made I notify yall. The whole project is waiting to be reingested + the few new tracks. Punch clearly stated we were waiting on sample clearance.. which we are lol. Stop listening to fake theories.
Superbowl, then Stadium Tour
Yes, you heard right. SZA and Kendrick have plans to go on a stadium tour later this year. From New York to California, audiences can expect to see the power duo later this spring through the summer.
Kendrick has also announced SZA as his special halftime guest at the Super Bowl this year. He was announced as the headliner back in September. They will most likely perform one of the songs that appears on both of their albums.
While nothing has been confirmed about his setlist, that hasn’t stopped fans from predicting what songs he’ll do.
What we should be more interested in is what song will SZA come out for. It only makes sense to perform the Grammy-nominated song, “All the Stars”.
But who knows? Fans may be in for a surprise on February 9, as both artists have appeared on each other’s recent projects.
While this isn’t Kendrick’s first time in a Super Bowl halftime show, this marks SZA’s first appearance. Whether she performs a single song from LANA or one of her features with Kendrick, our girl has finally made it to Super Bowl status.
Fans may even see her again in a few years, headlining her own Super Bowl halftime show. Both her tour and Super Bowl performance happen in early 2025, leaving a few months of surprises for her fans.
Most likely, her new music will drop later this year, but that will not stop her from performing unreleased songs at certain shows.
SZA fans will have something to look toward to every month. Between the tour and new music, SZA has made it clear that she is booked and busy.
Unstoppable Music Duo Kendrick and SZA
SZA’s versatile voice allows her to be featured in all music genres. From pop band Maroon 5, to appearing in Plant Her by Doja Cat, SZA is always a wonderful addition to any song.
It seems that she has a favorite collaborator, and that might go both ways for these two. Kendrick Lamar first appeared on SZA’s 2014 album, Z, and has since been collaborating with her, with one of their most popular songs being in the Marvel film Black Panther.
Similar to how Keke Palmer and SZA have great chemistry in front of the cameras, the same can be said with Kendrick Lamar in the booth. They play off of each other’s energy and styles in songs, and it sounds like their friendship spans decades. They allow themselves to open up to each other and delve into deep conversations about childhood, masculinity, and femininity, and working through emotions and trauma.
The November 2024 print of Harper’s Bazaar has them expanding on their philosophy and outlooks of their views of the world. The sit-down conversation between Kendrick and SZA is intimate with every question and answer. It’s as though the interviewer wasn’t there.
2024 was a huge year for Kendrick Lamar (with his beef with Drake), but rumors were spreading about her ties between Kendrick and Drake. Ultimately, she didn’t want any part in the beef, and decided to remove herself before the feud gained traction.
Nevertheless, it’s safe to say that it did affect Kendrick and SZA’s relationship with others.
Hopefully, they continue to be music partners and create music for both of their listeners. Especially since they will be spending plenty of time with each other in 2025.
