Earlier this month, SZA released her brand new single “Drew Barrymore” off her forthcoming album CTRL. Now, the TDE songstress has revealed a release date for the long-awaited project.
Due Feb. 3, the first studio LP from SZA will feature songs about her life experiences and lessons learned.
“I [wrote about] my younger life, which was haphazard,” the 26-year-old told Billboard. “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. It’s the first time I’m literally writing about my life instead of figuratively writing about it.”
While life was the basis for much of her songwriting, the album was also influenced by notes from legendary producer Rick Rubin. “I had this mentality that ‘more is more’ — more reverb, more background [vocals],” she said. “I played [Rubin] a bunch of songs, and he would tell me, ‘The more you take away from any piece, the more room you create for everything else to be beautiful and grow.’ I never felt that before, the editing urge. Once you strip everything down, you’re forced to say something.”
During the interview, SZA also opened up what she learned from working with Rihanna on ANTI’s “Consideration.” “Rihanna doesn’t give a f**k about anyone around her,” said SZA. “She’s in her own space at all times. But she’s not rude — she’s comfortable. As a shy person, that was something cool to witness.”
