{"id":63280,"date":"2023-12-11T12:03:22","date_gmt":"2023-12-11T17:03:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2023\/12\/11\/what-szas-long-awaited-return-taught-us-about-the-future-of-rb\/"},"modified":"2023-12-11T12:03:22","modified_gmt":"2023-12-11T17:03:22","slug":"what-szas-long-awaited-return-taught-us-about-the-future-of-rb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2023\/12\/11\/what-szas-long-awaited-return-taught-us-about-the-future-of-rb\/","title":{"rendered":"What SZA\u2019s Long-Awaited Return Taught Us About The Future of\u00a0R&B"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tIn the five years that followed the release of SZA\u2019s groundbreaking debut album, Ctrl<\/em>, the acclaimed artist teased fans with the occasional one-off or collaboration \u2014 as the wait for the official follow-up continued to grow. So when she finally did return at the end of 2022 with her much-anticipated second album, SOS<\/em>, the stakes were high. And throughout 2023, her record-breaking chart wins exceeded expectations.<\/p>\n

\n\tWith SOS<\/em>, SZA ventured outside R&B\u2019s boundaries by diving into gospel, grunge, pop-punk and rap; meanwhile, as her producer-engineer, Rob Bisel, previously told Billboard<\/em><\/a>, \u201cHer pen got sharper and more personal.\u201d SOS<\/em> debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200<\/a> and spent 10 nonconsecutive weeks there, the most of any R&B\/hip-hop album by a woman since Mariah Carey\u2019s self-titled debut spent 11 weeks at the top in 1991. Instead of its impact being limited to the final weeks of 2022, SOS<\/em> became one of this year\u2019s biggest releases.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tWhat Hip-Hop’s 50th Birthday Told Us About Its\u00a0Future\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tIt started with the groovy yet gruesome \u201cKill Bill,\u201d which arrived as a single in January and eventually became SZA\u2019s first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100<\/a>; it also made history with an unprecedented 21-week siege atop the Hot R&B\/Hip-Hop Songs<\/a> chart. The following month, she embarked on the SOS<\/em> tour, telling Billboard<\/em> at the time<\/a> that she was \u201cdeeply excited to pop ass and cry and give theater\u201d during her first-ever arena headlining stint, compared with her more intimate, stripped-down shows in the past. \u201cWhen I finally saw the tour and how insane she was going with her choreography, range and stamina \u2026 it really hit me,\u201d her producer Carter Lang previously told Billboard<\/em>. \u201cThe transformation was super apparent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSZA found ways to keep SOS<\/em> in rotation while on the road. In April, \u201cSnooze\u201d was released as the album\u2019s sixth single and slowly grew into its next smash. It was serviced to (and succeeded at) rhythmic, R&B\/hip-hop and pop radio, all of which culminated in a star-studded music video that arrived in August and featured Justin Bieber. Soon after its release, she recruited him for the song\u2019s acoustic version. \u201cSnooze\u201d ultimately peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 and dethroned \u201cKill Bill\u201d on Hot R&B Songs<\/a>, where the former had ruled for 16 nonconsecutive weeks.<\/p>\n

\n\tBy September, SOS<\/em> became the longest-running No. 1 title on Top R&B Albums<\/a>, logging 50 weeks and counting at the summit. And to top it all off, SZA finished at No. 1 on four major Billboard<\/em> year-end R&B\/hip-hop rankings: Top R&B\/Hip-Hop Artists, Hot R&B\/Hip-Hop Songwriters, Top R&B\/Hip-Hop Albums (SOS<\/em>) and Hot R&B\/Hip-Hop Songs (\u201cKill Bill\u201d). SZA was also crowned the No. 2 Hot 100 artist of the year and No. 5 Hot 100 songwriter of the year, while SOS<\/em> landed at No. 3 on the year-end Billboard 200 recap.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe had a lot of really big moments in R&B this year, obviously SZA being one of those,\u201d says Alaysia Sierra, head of R&B at Spotify. \u201cShe\u2019s pop, alternative, R&B. She doesn\u2019t want to be put in a box, but she can\u2019t deny her foundation.\u201d<\/p>\n

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