Originally published: 11/9/22
Updated: 11/2/23

SZA (born Solána Imani Rowe) has proven to be a leader in R&B for some time now. She consistently lets her fans in with her relatable lyrics and soft vocals. The New Jersey native released two EPs before she got the attention of a record label. She released See.SZA.Run in 2012 and S in 2013. The singer signed with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2013. After she signed, she became the first female artist to join the label.

SZA released her debut studio album, CTRL, in 2017. The album earned the artist four Grammy nominations: Best Urban Contemporary Album, Best R&B Song (“Supermodel”), Best R&B Performance (“The Weekend”), Best Rap/Sung Performance (“Love Galore”). She was also nominated for Best New Artist.

CTRL debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. The album now holds the record for the longest run of any Black female artist’s debut LP after having a 5-year run on the chart. For the fifth anniversary of the album, she released the long-awaited deluxe.

After her debut album, there was a five-year gap in which the singer didn’t create a full-length project. Her singles“Good Days,” “I Hate U,” and her feature on Doja Cat’s “Kiss Me More”  were just some of the songs that held fans over during the wait for her second album. The latter earned the singer her first Grammy win for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 2022 Grammys.

SZA Releases SOS

SZA released her sophomore album in December 2022. The album stayed atop the Billboard 200 chart for 10 non-consecutive weeks, breaking the record for the largest streaming week for an R&B album in the US. However, the singer is only getting started and plans to release a deluxe version of the LP called Lana. A release date for Lana has not yet been announced, but we can’t wait to hear what SZA has up her sleeves.

Take a look at 13 of her best songs ranked below:

• “Slime You Out” Drake ft. SZA ‘For All The Dogs’ (2023)

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  After years without a collaboration between the two, Drake had SZA featured in his lead single to 'For All The Dogs.' Drake and SZA take turns singing about having someone they're interested in not play them. She is also featured in "Rich Baby Daddy" with Sexxy Red on the album. The song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

• 12. “Drew Barrymore” SZA ‘CTRL’ (2017)

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  In "Drew Barrymore" SZA sings about being insecure and staying in a romantic situation that is toxic. "I get so lonely I forget what I'm worth/We get so lonely we pretend that this works," SZA sings. The artist doesn't name-drop the famous actress its named after but she told Billboard how she got inspiration from the song. "I [wrote about] my younger life, which was haphazard: being at ­sleepaway camp away from my parents, being the only Black girl, not even noticing until I got older, dealing with boys, self-hate, growth, and God," she said. "It's the first time I'm literally writing about my life instead of figuratively writing about it." "Drew Barrymore" was released on SZA's debut album 'CTRL' in 2017.

• 11. “Good Days” SZA (2020)

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  On SZA's "Good Days" the artist sings about losing control of her life and wanting to drive negativity out. The track was released on Christmas Day in 2020. The New Jersey native first previewed the record on Instagram in July 2020 with Jacob Collier's vocals. The track was heard again during the outro of her music video "Hit Different" featuring Ty Dolla $ign before it was officially released. SZA tells Genius that "'Good Days' is a mantra more than a belief." The song was nominated for Best R&B Song at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.
• 10. “Broken Clocks” SZA ‘CTRL’ (2017)

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  "Broken Clocks" is also found on SZA's debut album 'CTRL' where she sings about how she hustled working multiple jobs. "After I graduated I just started doing random jobs," she told Billboard in an interview back in 2013. She told the publication she thought she would be a scientist and travel a lot. She added that she needed money but ended up getting "fired from every job" she ever had. SZA performed "Broken Clocks" at the Grammy Awards in 2018 where she was nominated for "Best New Artist."

• 9. “2AM” SZA ‘CTRL’ (2017)

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  SZA flips PARTYNEXTDOOR's Drake-assisted track "Come and See Me" which was released in 2016. In "2 AM" SZA speaks from the female's perspective on the receiving end of a man calling you to come over in the early hours of the morning. On the track, SZA realizes she's taken the role of the "side chick" yet is too attached to leave. At the end of "2 AM" SZA shares a snippet of her unreleased track "Inside Man."

• 8. “I Hate U” SZA (2021)

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  SZA fans were in a drought in 2021 awaiting a solo performance from the New Jersey native until she dropped "I Hate U." The song was originally posted on the singer's secret Soundcloud account but once a snippet of the song went viral on TikTok the singer officially released the full song on December 3, 2021. "Honestly this started out as an exercise," she wrote on Instagram. "I just wanted somewhere to dump my thoughts without out pressure." "I Hate U" debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and she received her first No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
• 7. “Love Galore” SZA ft. Travis Scott ‘CTRL’ (2017)

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  "Love Galore" featuring Travis Scott is found on SZA's debut studio album 'CTRL.' SZA spoke to Genius about the meaning of the track. "This song is about being played by a dude," she told Genius. "This whole song is about being played out by a n---- who thought he was cuter than you, who thought he had it all together and he was, 'Skrrt skrrt', and he was on the move."   In the same interview, SZA said that Travis was "perfect" for the record and that she is a "huge fan of Travis." The song appears on the deluxe version of 'CTRL' with a new verse which was released in 2022, five years after the initial release.

• 6. “No Love” Summer Walker ft. SZA ‘Still Not Over It’ (2021)

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  SZA assisted fellow R&B crooner Summer Walker on "No Love" which appears on the ATL native's sophomore album 'Still Not Over It.' Both Summer and SZA speak about their previous toxic relationships and that they're through with dealing with these old partners as SZA sings "I would give like ten percent/You deserve like half of that/I'ma need my money back." Summer Walker released an extended remix with rapper Cardi B on March 25, 2022.

• 5. “Kiss Me More” Doja Cat ft. SZA ‘Planet Her’ (2021)

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  "Kiss Me More" is the lead single from Doja Cat's third album 'Planet Her.'  News broke of the Doja and SZA collab when the 'CTRL' singer interviewed the "Woman" singer for V Magazine. Doja explained that having SZA on the track with her felt "sexy" and "perfect." Doja Cat explained to Zane Lowe in another interview why she wanted to create a song like "Kiss Me More." "I wanted to make a song about kissing. I just thought it would be cute," Doja Cat said. "That doesn't happen too often, but just a song that's solely about kissing." Doja Cat and SZA earned their first Grammy for "Kiss Me More" at the 2022 award show in "Best Pop Duo/Group Performance."
• 4. “The Weekend” SZA ‘CTRL’ (2017)

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  On "The Weekend" SZA sings about sharing the man she is romantically involved with two other other women. Fans initially thought that the singer was referring to just one other woman she was sharing her man with but the singer cleared it up with a tweet. "My man is MY man Is YOUR man heard thts HER man too," the singer wrote using the lyrics from the song. "Thts 3 women ..Not two. all getting played. one opted out." The music video was directed by Solange Knowles which SZA said she had a pleasure of working with the "Cranes In The Sky" singer. "She really sees the world maybe differently than I did," SZA told MTV News. "We both have taste, but it expresses in different ways." The song was nominated for Best R&B Performance at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.

• 3. “Snooze” by SZA ‘SOS’ (2022)

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  While "Kill Bill" took the charge as one of fan favorites on 'SOS,' listeners slowly began noticing the eighth track on the LP, "Snooze." The song is about doing everything for someone you love and making the effort to not take them for granted. She later issued an acoustic remix of the song with Justin Bieber. Bieber also appeared in the official music video for the record. "Snooze" originally debuted at No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 but back in September hit a new peak of No. 3 on the chart.

• 2. ‘Kill Bill’ by SZA ‘SOS’ (2022)

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  Once SZA dropped 'SOS,' fans flocked to "Kill Bill." The song is about contemplating killing your ex after they did you wrong and are out with their new partner. "Kill Bill" is named after the infamous Quentin Tarantino film series of the same name. She later released a remix with Doja Cat on April 14, 2023. "Kill Bill" earned SZA her first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• 1. “All The Stars” Kendrick Lamar ft. SZA ‘Black Panther: The Album Music from Inspired By’ (2018)

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  "All The Stars" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA is featured as the lead single for Marvel's 'Black Panther.' The song is heard at the end credits of the film. The track peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.  "All The Stars" earned an Oscar nomination for "Best Original Song" at the 91st Academy Awards as well as was nominated for four Grammys at the 61st Grammy Awards including "Record of the Year" and "Song of the Year." This was not the first time the former labelmates collaborated with one another. They first worked together in 2014, on SZA’s "Babylon." Later, SZA provided backing vocals on both "u" and "For Sale?" from Kendrick’s 'To Pimp a Butterfly.' Both appeared Jay Rock’s 2015 release "Easy Bake." Kendrick also featured on SZA’s "Doves in the Wind."

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