SZA doesn’t like her music being categorized into a single genre as she feels it limits the full range of people who can appreciate her as an artist.
In an interview with Dazed published on Wednesday (May 1), the 34-year-old superstar discussed her image in the public eye and how her marketing unfairly reflects her material.
“The only reason I’m defined as an R&B artist is because I’m black,” the New Jersey singer said. “It’s almost a little reductive because it doesn’t allow space to be anything else or try anything else. Justin Bieber is not considered an R&B artist; he is a pop artist who makes R&B, folk music, or whatever The music his heart wanted.
“I just wanted the same opportunity to make whatever I wanted without a label, [without it being] Based on the color of my skin, or the team I run with, or the beat I choose. I hope people can see “F2F” for what it is. I want “No One Can Understand Me” to be seen for what it is. I want people to see Bill for what it was.
She added: “At the same time, it’s nothing to bend because that’s how people treat you. As long as I don’t treat myself that way. I don’t necessarily limit myself to anything. I just want to make music and try to feel And enjoy the experience.
While SZA clearly has concerns about her image in the music industry, she hasn’t lost sight of how her fans continue to recognize her talent. Last month, she expressed her gratitude to her supporters for making her realize what a great song “Snooze” was, especially since she didn’t initially see the song’s appeal.
“I’m not gonna lie, Snooze wasn’t my favorite when I made this album, but now it’s hands down my favorite,” she wrote on social media. “I played on the beach and it was terrible [teary eyed emoji].I’m late, but thank you for riding along until I come to my senses [laughing, heart hands and heart emoji]”
The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was the only song to chart every week in the U.S. in 2023, in addition to breaking the record for the most weeks on the R&B/Hip Hop Airplay chart.
“Snooze” also won the 2024 Grammy Award for Best R&B Song and was recently named the greatest R&B song of the streaming era by Spotify.
