SZA opened up about a time when she felt misunderstood and mistreated by her peers.
“I was bullied because I wasn’t quiet and I was awkward at the same time,” the Grammy-winning singer said in an interview with with People. “I wasn’t this tiny sad victim, but I was more so attacked just because it was giving ‘what is wrong with you?’ energy.”
The “Love Language” artist went on to add that the experience made her who she is today. SZA explained that she doesn’t regret a single chapter in her story.
“I realized that all the things that made me feel so lame were actually what made me into who I am,” she explained. “It’s like, I didn’t go to prom because I didn’t have any friends and I had no one to go to prom with…[and now] it’s so weird that my life turned into [having] a bodyguard while traveling to parties.”
She continued, “All these things, if I had such a fulfilling existence and experience in high school, I would’ve felt validated to the point where I didn’t need to do anymore. [So] I just had to do more, I had to be more because I was like, ‘This shitty experience can’t be the end of it because if it is, I am cooked.’”
SZA, who recently celebrated the success of her SOS album, also offered words of encouragement to fans who might be going through similar situations. She said there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and emphasized the importance of staying true to yourself.
“If you could hold on and just wait until high school is over because 10 years from now, I promise you, none of those people will matter,” she said.
