With over 83 million monthly listeners, Solána Imani Rowe, better known as SZA, has been on the music scene for more than a decade. But in 2022, after the rerelease of her first studio album CTRL as a deluxe album and then the release of her second studio album SOS six months later — which spent 12 weeks at number one on Billboard 200 — SZA went from being pretty famous to being an international superstar.
So it comes as no surprise that there was a lot of hype around the release of her second deluxe album titled LANA which came out this past December. But before I dive in, for those who aren’t familiar, a deluxe album usually includes the initial songs of the original album along with unreleased tracks, alternate song versions, and live performances – plus whatever else the artist wants to include. When SZA released CTRL (deluxe), she included seven bonus songs. LANA, though, which is a deluxe album of SOS, is much larger, with 15 added tracks, including singles she put out before the release.
With all the attention SZA has garnered over the past few years plus the size of this newest deluxe album, people were anxious to know if it would sound repetitive or true to her sound. How can an artist sound repetitive though, and how does SZA not?
When I think of SZA’s music, I never think of one specific genre or sound. I think of how she is able to constantly dive into the different subgenres of R&B and Hip-Hop to make each song a unique listening experience. This is why I feel she stays true to her sound, and it’s not like you hear the same music from her every time she releases it.
When anticipating the album release, I didn’t expect much from SZA except for good lyrics and music I’d enjoy. However, “Love Me 4 Me” and “Another Life” really exceeded these expectations. “Love Me 4 Me” is the 7th song in the SOS Deluxe album. “Scorsese Baby Daddy” has just finished playing when SZA begins “Love Me 4 Me” with, “I romanticize the scariest things. Wonder if I die will I be forgiven for everything?” She imagines herself as if she doesn’t exist. This is a metaphor for how she feels unseen in her relationships. She starts the song with a light-sounding background that draws you into the song. Toward the end of the second verse she says, “Can’t wait to go to my grave for you, all I’d care for you, you never saw me for me.” SZA’s lyricism and ability to voice the feelings that many people have is what makes her music so easy to relate to. She accurately describes the frustration and disappointment of loving someone but knowing they would never do for you what you would for them.
“Another Life” is the 14th song of LANA. The sound instantly draws you in due to its slow and heartbroken nature. In this song, SZA depicts the feeling of longing for a relationship that will never be. She sings of a different reality, in which she feels like she can be with him. When she says, “In another life, I know we could ride out, boy,” this provides insight into how you can know something isn’t working out but you love the person so much that you don’t want to let it go. She later sings, “I don’t wanna be just a shell of me, just another thing in your gallery,” even though she wants his love, she doesn’t want to lose herself in the process. At the end of the song, she repeats the word “Mine” before further expressing her wish for them to work in her final lyrics, ”Maybe in Another Life.”
These two songs are my favorite because of how easily SZA portrays the feelings that failing relationships can bring you. Both of these songs can be related back to her others in terms of the lyrics, or the overall sound. “Love Me 4 Me” is similar to her song “Used,” with Don Toliver, from the original SOS album. They both start off with a somewhat ethereal tone before the beat comes in. Although they sound alike, the different meanings of each song allow me to listen to them one after the other without feeling like I’m listening to the same song. It’s never just SZA’s lyrics that are appealing, she uses melodic sounds and beats to put into words the complicated feelings that can come from loving someone. She does this with many more songs than these two but these are the ones that stick with me the best.
In my opinion, one of SZA’s strongest suits for all her albums is how she has created sad songs that are never the exact same. It can be argued that her sad songs are often very similar, and while that is true, they are never identical. Every song she makes is unique in lyrics. If you’re a fan of her sad songs, you won’t be disappointed with “Crybaby,” the 10th song on LANA, where she comes to terms with her sensitivity within her relationship. Much like “Open Arms” with Travis Scott, “Special,” and “Nobody Gets Me,” these songs can all put you into the same emotional mood SZA so effortlessly conveys.
In conclusion, although SZA duplicates feelings across her discography, her songs never feel like they are too close to the same.
