SZA isn’t waiting another five years to give her fans new music.
Nine months after the 33-year-old Grammy winner dropped her highly anticipated second studio album, SOS, she revealed that the deluxe version is coming soon — and will essentially be a brand-new project. “So the deluxe is like a whole ‘nother album,” she said during the SOS celebration event on Friday, September 8, at Brooklyn Navy Yard.
The new album, however, won’t be SOS [Deluxe]. “It’s called Lana. It’s seven to 10 songs, and it’ll be out this fall,” SZA (born Selána Rowe) said, per fan footage of the event.
Those fans at the RSVP-only soirée – which featured a brief appearance from Ice Spice – also got a preview of Lana. “Heads up, we don’t actually have a plan,” SZA explained, per People. “We’re just playing some songs off the deluxe, and we’re just gonna play a couple of songs you already know.”
She continued: “It was really just — I just wanted to do something for free that was a vibe. ’Cause I was here in town. Literally, there’s no other point to this whatsoever.”
SOS arrived in December 2022, five years after her debut album, Ctrl. Her sophomore release debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and enjoyed a non-consecutive 10-week run atop the album chart.
The “Snooze” singer is poised to have a big night at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards. With 8 nods, SZA has the second-most nominations heading into the Tuesday, September 12, show, behind Taylor Swift’s 11. SZA’s “Kill Bill” is nominated for Video of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Editing, Best Direction, and Song of Summer. SOS is up for Album of the Year, and her song “Shirt” is up for Best R&B and Best Art Direction.
However, SZA is not listed as one of the many stars hitting the stage at the Prudential Center in New Jersey. Instead, viewers will see Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion perform the television debut of their new single, “Bongos,” as well as performances from host Nicki Minaj, Video Vanguard winner Shakira, Global Icon winner Diddy, Stray Kids, Lil Wayne, Karol G, Fall Out Boy, Doja Cat, Demi Lovato and more. The night closes out with a tribute to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, which will be a star-studded bash that includes DMC, Doug E. Fresh, Lil Wayne, LL Cool J, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, and the host, Nicki Minaj, herself.
