After a slightly longer wait than expected, SZA’s Lana is finally here! Two years ago, SZA released her sophomore album, SOS, which achieved massive success and solidified her status as an R&B heavyweight. The album garnered instant acclaim, driven by smash hits like “Kill Bill” and “Snooze.” At the 66th Grammy Awards, it earned nine nominations and won Best Progressive R&B Album.
Shortly after SOS was released, SZA began teasing a deluxe edition. She revealed that over 100 songs had been recorded during the album’s creation and hinted at ongoing sessions even post-release. However, after several tracks leaked online, she decided to reimagine the deluxe edition as a standalone project, later titled Lana. This new project features 15 tracks, including an unexpected collaboration with Kendrick Lamar on “30 For 30.”
The Lana era embraces a transformative, nature-inspired aesthetic. This theme of metamorphosis first appeared during SZA’s Mastercard commercial performance at the 2024 Grammy Awards, where she performed on a forest-themed set while wearing a top crafted from real tree seeds. The album’s cover art continues this narrative, portraying SZA as an insect-like figure dressed in a yellow camouflage jacket and cargo pants, surrounded by tall grass. This visual concept is revisited in the music video for “Drive.”
Now that Lana is finally out, we’ve ranked all 15 tracks.
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