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SZA Is in Her Acceptance Era: ‘I Can Be Sweet, I Can Be Vengeful’

The ‘Kill Bill’ singer released her second studio album, ‘SOS,’ on Dec. 9.

Ananya Panchal

SZA.

SZA.

SZA is embracing all sides of her “multifaceted” personality.

“Right now I’m just entering my era where I am accepting that I might be a bi---, and that‘s O.K.,” the Grammy-nominated artist told People. “Not all the time, but I’m not a bubblegum sweetheart and that’s O.K.”

She added that her latest album, SOS, her second studio release after 2017’s Crtl, is a manifestation of her coming to terms with who she is and living authentically. Her fans are clearly loving it. A number of the album’s songs, especially “Kill Bill,” have risen to the top of Spotify’s ranks and TikTok’s trending sounds.

“I can’t be sad just ’cause I’m not a sweetheart,” the 33-year-old said. “I feel like I’m multifaceted, I can be really sweet, I can be really vengeful, I can be violent, I can be nurturing and all these things.”

She’s comfortable with who she is—sometimes a villain and sometimes an angel.

“I’m O.K. with speaking my mind and just being who God designed me to be,” she continued.

SOS dropped on Dec. 9 and contains 23 tracks, including “Good Days,” which SZA released as a single in 2020. The album broke Spotify’s record for biggest single-day streams for an R&B album with 68 million streams and has held the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Top 200 for three weeks.

The final track, “Forgiveless,” is a sharp contrast to “Good Days” and that was an intentional decision by SZA.

“‘Good Days’ is gentle and hopeful and all these things, but the truth is, life is arresting and it’s not going to end how we want,” she explained. “And a lot of s--- that’s been done to me, or that’s happened in general, I may move on and accept things, but I’ll never forget. It’ll always be f--- you in a special place in my mind. So it’s that. It’s like, ‘Yeah, we can move forward and believe in good days and all that, but don’t forget. Don’t forget it’s still f--- you.’”

Fans can keep their “eyes and ears peeled” for the forthcoming deluxe version of the album.

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Ananya Panchal
ANANYA PANCHAL

Ananya Panchal is a NYC-based Lifestyle & Trending News writer at SI Swimsuit. Before joining the Swim team, the Boston University Alum worked for culture & entertainment beats at Bustle, The San Francisco Chronicle and the TODAY Show. When Ananya is not writing or doom-scrolling on social media, she can be found playing sudoku, rewatching One Tree Hill or trying new restaurants. She's also a coffee and chocolate (separately) enthusiast. 

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