Kori Barnes 
After having an amazing 2023 run filled with achievements and accomplishments, SZA is showing no signs of slowing up her success. The R&B artist continuously dominated the Billboard charts since the release of her highly anticipated sophomore album SOS, and has now achieved a major milestone in her career. SZA’s hit track “Snooze,” is the only song to spend every week of 2023 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
Not only is she one of the few artists to have solidified her presence on the Billboard charts this year, she’s also broken a legacy record that hadn’t been touched in 54 years. “It takes a special album to dethrone the Queen of Soul, and on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart … SOS made its move into the history books. With an 18th week at No. 1 on the chart, SOS became the longest-running No. 1 album by a woman since the chart launched in 1965. It took the record from Aretha Franklin’s Aretha Now, which logged 17 weeks in the top slot in 1968,” according to Billboard. These are only a few of the milestones SZA has broken that has gained her more popularity, but also respect for her craft. As an artist that’s fought to have a voice in the music industry and do it her way; she’s finally at peace with standing in the fullness of her power.
Fans don’t have to wait anxiously for another five years for a hint of new albums from the artist. SZA has officially confirmed that a SOS deluxe album, LANA, is coming soon. According to Variety, “It’s outtakes and new stuff, too — I added a couple of songs,” SZA previously shared to Variety. “It’s like a whole new project. It’s called Lana — my name but, it’s the first tattoo that I ever got, when I was 13. It was 10 bucks a letter and I only had 40, so that became my nickname for no reason. Lana is really just the B-side of SOS.”
Audiences and critics have taken to social media to express their perspectives of SZA’s artistic creative direction with the different cover art visuals she chooses for her albums and/or singles. Although it may not be what they’re expecting, it definitely keeps her fandom on their toes. According to uproxx.com, “Earlier this week, SZA put out three possible options for the cover art for Lana on social media. Complete with a Parental Advisory tag, one finds SZA in a pig pen and posing, one is her doing a cute pose in a white outfit on a chair, and the other is her outside in a leaf-themed outfit.”
Although SZA hasn’t yet confirmed an official release date, audiences are anticipating the quick arrival of the album due to the artist releasing the cover art with fans. After witnessing SZA dominate the Billboard and TikTok song charts, we can only imagine what 2024 has in store. Hopefully, this alluring artist will break the internet once again with her vulnerability and authenticity.
By Kori Barnes, University of Southern California
Instagram: @korixnicole
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