The Grammys has a history of overlooking generational talents when dishing out its Best New Artist award. SZA fell victim to this in 2018 when the award went to Alessia Cara despite SZA's groundbreaking introduction via Ctrl. While this was undoubtedly disappointing, SZA told Cosmopolitan that just being nominated was enough validation.
"I’m just a girl from the ’burbs. I never had dreams of being nominated for a Grammy," she said. "I thought I was going to be a gymnast and a fucking business accountant somewhere. Or working at Nike corporate or some shit in Portland. Who knows, but something that involved a power suit. So it’s not a heavy burden." She went on to explain that once an artist has been nominated for a Grammy, the award stops having a grip on their career.
"Once you’ve been nominated and lost, you’re very much free because you’re not concerned," SZA continued. "I passed that threshold years ago—it’s an old energy to me. Why would I be mad?"
SZA is now working on the follow-up to her classic debut album. Contrary to the current trend of showering fans with music, TDE prides itself on taking a much time as necessary to craft projects. SZA is following this trend as its been over three years since she dropped her debut. Yet, SZA assures her fans that new music is on the way.
"Sometimes you just want to make something fucking awful just to rage against the system, but that’s not where I’m at. In this space, I just want to do what I want without any pressure, without any hyper-conversation about it," the singer said. "This album is going to be the shit that made me feel something in my...here and in here. That’s what’s going to go on the album. I’m making all different types of shit every day from different places in my spirit."
Although she stopped short of saying when the album is dropping, SZA has released two singles, "Hit Different" and "Good Days," giving the impression that a new project is on the horizon.
