SZA is opening up about the mindset behind her new album, revealing that she is approaching her forthcoming project from a very different place than she did much of her career. During an Instagram Live, the Grammy-winning singer reflected on the motivation behind her music and said her next chapter is being shaped by “intention” rather than the desire to prove something.
“I realized my entire career was made out of spite,” SZA said during the livestream. “I don’t desire to do anything out of spite anymore. So, I guess this next album is really just been made out of intention.”
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The comment offers a rare glimpse into how SZA is thinking about the follow-up to SOS, an album that became one of the defining commercial successes of her career. Released December 9, 2022, through Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records, SOS spent 13 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and continued its run in the Top 10 for years after its release.
The album was fueled by an extraordinary run of singles. “Kill Bill” became her first No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Global 200, while “Snooze” became the only song to remain on the Hot 100 throughout all of 2023. SOS also made history as the first album by a woman to spend 100 weeks in the Billboard 200’s Top 10.
The project later expanded with SOS Deluxe: Lana, released December 20, 2024. The 19-track edition added songs including “Saturn,” “BMF” and “30 for 30,” featuring Kendrick Lamar, while extending an album era that had already included an international tour and, later, the Grand National Tour with Lamar.
SZA’s latest comments suggest that the next album will come from a different creative impulse. Rather than framing the music around competition, frustration or the need to respond to outside expectations, she described a more deliberate approach to songwriting and recording.
“I asked somebody what could I make this album out of if not out of spite, and they were just like, ‘Oh, intention, just be intentional,’” she continued. “So, I’ve been trying to do that.”
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