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SZA Says She Can Drop 'Lana' Randomly Because "No One’s Actually Expecting" It
SZA is one of this year’s most acclaimed R&B artists. Her sophomore studio album, SOS, was nominated for the 2024 Grammy Awards, 2023 MTV VMAs, and Sunday’s (Nov. 26) Soul Train Awards, among several other accomplishments.
Today (Nov. 29), the musician covered Variety’s latest issue, where she reflected on her success, song leaks, and forthcoming LP titled Lana. “It was gonna be [SOS] outtakes and some new songs, but it’s become more than I expected,” SZA told the publication. “It was gonna be really soft because I had made all my screaming points, and I just wanted to glide, and not think [too much], and get out of my own head — I was so happy to say some s**t that didn’t mean a f**king thing.”
The “Shirt” artist also revealed where the title came from. She shared that it became her first tattoo after she couldn’t afford the first two letters in “Solána,” her birth name.
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Notably, Lana has been teased for quite some time. During her surprise performance in New York’s Brooklyn Navy Yard, SZA confirmed the project. She told the crowd, “The deluxe [album] is like a whole ‘notha album called Lana, [and] it’s seven to 10 songs, and it’ll be out this fall.”
However, the songstress seemingly isn’t pressed to release it too early. In her conversation with Variety, SZA lauded Frank Ocean and André 3000 for their discontinuous approach to putting out music.
“It’s definitely turning into its own album… and I guess I could drop a new album randomly because no one’s actually expecting that from me right now,” SZA explained. “But I can’t tell if now’s the time to be consistent or carefree. On the one hand, it’s like, ‘What would Beyoncé do?’ but I am also deeply inspired by people who do whatever the f**k they want, like Frank Ocean and André 3000. Some of my favorite songs were the ones that I dropped on SoundCloud [early in her career] because it was so stress-free.”