SZA, born Solána Imani Rowe on November 8, 1989, is an acclaimed American singer-songwriter who rose to prominence with her self-released EPs See.SZA.Run and S.
After partnering with RCA Records, SZA achieved critical and commercial success with her debut album, Ctrl, which earned four Grammy nominations and became a long-charting R&B album.
Her second album, SOS, dominated the Billboard 200 for twelve weeks, breaking streaming records for an R&B album and producing hit singles like Kill Bill.
She also topped the charts with a feature on Drake’s Slime You Out.
Parents
SZA’s parents are Abdul Mubarak-Rowe and Audrey Rowe.
Her father, Abdul, is Muslim, and her mother, Audrey, is Christian. SZA has mentioned being raised in a “spiritual household”.
Her mother worked as an executive at AT&T, while her father was an editor at CNN.
SZA has said that her parents are very supportive of her music career. They have been married for over 30 years and are often seen at her concerts and events.
SZA described her family as “involved, supportive, overbooked, outgoing, spiritually aware, talkers and loyal”.
Career
SZA’s musical journey began in 2011 when she started writing and recording music.
In 2012, she released her first EP, See.SZA.Run, which garnered positive reviews and comparisons to artists like Drake and The Weeknd.
She continued to gain attention with her second EP, S, in 2013, which led to her signing with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), becoming the label’s first female artist.
In 2014, SZA released her third EP, Z, which marked her first project available on digital retailers and reached the top ten on the US Independent Albums chart.
This EP featured collaborations with artists like Chance the Rapper and Kendrick Lamar.
SZA signed a contract with RCA Records in April 2017 and released her debut studio album, Ctrl, on June 9 to critical acclaim and commercial success.
The album earned four Grammy Award nominations and became the second longest-charting R&B album by a female artist on the US Billboard 200.
SZA’s 2022 album, SOS, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and featured her first number-one single, Kill Bill.
The album also produced hits like Snooze, Nobody Gets Me, I Hate Uband Good Days.
SZA has received numerous accolades, including five Grammy Awards, a Brit Award, and an American Music Award.
In 2024, she received the Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame and won a Grammy for Best Progressive R&B Album for SOS.
