SZA
It’s four years in a row for Taylor Swift, with the U.S. pop icon dominating Australia’s year-end charts once again, according to data published by ARIA
Swift has once more found her way to the top of the ARIA Top 100 Albums Chart, this time off the back of her massively-successful eleventh album, April’s The Tortured Poets Department. With results undeniably bolstered by her seven local shows as part of the record-setting Eras Tour, Swift is a constant presence in the year-end charts, making up 40% of the top ten.
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While The Tortured Poets Department sits at No. 1, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) appears at No. 5, with Lover at No. 7, and Midnights rounding it out at No. 10. Overall, she makes up 11% of the entire Top 100, with original or re-recorded versions of her entire discography (save for her self-titled debut) placed across the top 68 positions. Her 2014 album 1989 doubles up thanks to its original version placing at No. 68.
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It’s not a far cry from the results of last year either, where 1989 (Taylor’s Version) reigned supreme and was joined by the likes of The Weeknd, Morgan Wallen, SZA, and Harry Styles. In 2024, the top ten is rounded out by Billie Eilish‘s Hit Me Hard And Soft, Sabrina Carpenter‘s Short n’ Sweet, The Weeknd’s The Highlights, SZA’s SOS, Wallen’s One Thing At A Time, and Olivia Rodrigo‘s Guts.
The singles chart, however, belongs to U.S. singer-songwriter Benson Boone, whose “Beautiful Things” spent six weeks at No. 1 and has rarely been absent from the top ten since it first debuted. Boone’s success isn’t limited to Australia, with the track having topped numerous charts globally, and peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Shaboozey‘s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” holds the silver medal position, with Carpenter’s “Espresso” closing out the podium finishes. Noah Kahan‘s “Stick Season” and Teddy Swims‘ “Lose Control” round out the top five, with Eilish’s “Birds Of A Feather” following closely behind. Irish musician Hozier‘s “Too Sweet” prevents a clean sweep for American artists, however, with his single hitting No. 8.
Swift’s influence also extends to the Singles Chart, with 2019’s “Cruel Summer” hitting No. 9 off the back of its 2023 viral success and single release. Miley Cyrus‘ “Flowers”, which topped the chart last year, also makes a return appearance, albeit relegated to a respectable No. 39.
Of note, however, is the lack of Australian artists that make up the Albums and Singles Charts. In the latter category, just 5% are home-grown, with Vance Joy’s 2013 single “Riptide” leading the charge at No. 24. Cyril’s reimagining of Suzi Quatro’s “Stumblin’ In” can be found at No. 29, while DJ and producer Dom Dolla‘s “Saving Up” splits the field at No. 50. The Kid LAROI closes out the local representation with “Nights Like This” featuring at No. 84, and his 2021 Justin Bieber collaboration “Stay” in at No. 96.
The Albums Charts, however, boasts only three Australian names – with only one being a studio release. While South Australian veterans Cold Chisel can be found at No. 44 with their 50 Years – The Best Of compilation, so too can INXS‘ Diamond-certified The Very Best be located down at No. 81. The Kid LAROI is once again the only point of difference, with his debut album – 2023’s The First Time – hitting No. 67.
Check out ARIA’s year-end singles and albums charts.
Just weeks after the release of her Lana project, SZA has teased plans for her next musical endeavors, hinting that it may simply be a ploy to satisfy the demands of her recording contract.
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SZA shared these plans in a Tweet on Saturday (Jan. 4), in which she further mused that her next two records may also be her last. “To fulfill my last 2 album requirements I think I just wanna make peaceful children’s music n get outta here,” she wrote. “Then [I’ll] go be a farmer n donate the produce to underserved communities.”
Though it’s difficult to determine whether SZA’s comments were made in earnest or with a sense of fun, recording albums simply to meet contractual obligations is far from a new undertaking.
Ahead of the release of 1968’s now-iconic Astral Weeks album, Van Morrison had attempted to leave his former label Bang Records by recording 36 tracks that would fulfill his obligations and allow his release from the label. Despite recording songs about sandwiches and ringworm on an out-of-tune guitar, the tracks were deemed “nonsense” and not officially released until 2017.
Another famous example came about when Marvin Gaye‘s divorce from Anna Gordy Gaye came to a head in 1977. As part of the legal proceedings, a deal was struck by Gaye’s lawyer to give his ex-wife 50% of the royalties of his next record. Though Gaye had initially planned to simply make a “quickie record — nothing heavy, nothing even good”, his perfectionism resulted in an album that, while not a commercial success, became a well-respected part of his discography.
Currently, SZA’s discography boasts two studio albums – including 2017’s Ctrl and 2022’s Billboard 200-topping SOS – and deluxe editions of each record. It’s not known, however, how many albums her contract requires her to deliver.
The deluxe edition of SOS, dubbed Lana, was released on Dec. 20 and has since seen the album clock up its 12th week atop the Billboard 200 albums chart. As a result, it now holds the honor of boasting the most weeks atop the chart for an R&B/hip-hop album by a woman.
Lana featured an additional 15 songs prepended to the original record, though SZA has since told fans that the deluxe edition would be altered with new mixes. On Dec. 30, she shared that “updated mixes and new songs” will be added once her label “comes back from holiday”.
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Source: TORBEN CHRISTENSEN / Getty / SZA
SZA doesn’t deny she got upgrades, but she is not here for folks wishing she didn’t get work done in the first place.
Monday, the singer had time for body-shaming trolls who wanted to focus more on her weight than the success of her latest album, SOS Deluxe: LANA.
A video from one of her fan pages showing the “Kill Bill” singer during the 2020 quarantine, with the caption “I miss this era so much,” sparked a discussion of the singer’s weight change.
Most of the comments were positive, but the negative always seems to stick out more when it comes to these celebs. One comment, “aka before she got big and bbl culture like,” really got her attention, explaining that negative comments like that one are the reason she got work done on her body in the first place.
“Yall say weird s–t like this and wonder why I’m different and don’t feel comfortable w yall anymore . Lol,” SZA said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
She further clarified that “I’m different” refers to her social media behavior and interaction with her fans and not changing her appearance.
Yall do realize I mean different as in I don’t go on live+ talk and don’t communicate w yall like that anymore lmao not different as in change my appearance tf 😭
— SZA (@sza) December 30, 2024
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The 35-year-old also revealed that she wasn’t happy in the 2020 video, revealing the year was tough on her following her grandmother’s passing, sending her into depression, and her not eating and working out too much.
Covid was hard … my granny had just died .. I was hella depressed n masking . Not eating. Over working out . but I always had my childhood home to n get lost . Still do . Grateful to be in a much better mental space now. ❤️ s/o to those days tho❤️
— SZA (@sza) December 30, 2024
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SZA Has Always Kept It Real About Her BBL
SZA has never been one trying to beat the bbl allegations and proudly flaunts her killer curves in her music videos and posts on social media. She did admit to getting a Brazilian butt lift in 2022 after trying to see results the old-fashioned way, but the gym didn’t work.
In an interview with British Vogue, she said she was “so mad” that she “did that s—t.”
“I gained all this weight from being immobile while recovering and trying to preserve the fat. It was just so stupid,” she continued, “But who gives a f—k? You got a BBL, you realize you didn’t need the s–t. It doesn’t matter.”
As long as SZA’s happy, we’re happy.
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2024 has been a very busy year for Kendrick Lamar as he gave the Hip-Hop culture some new classic diss records and racked up all kinds of accolades as a result.
Looking to close out the year on a high and positive note, Kung Fu Kenny will be taking part in Top Dawg Entertainment’s 11th annual TDE Christmas Concert & Toy Drive along with some of his TDE family members such as SZA, Ab-Soul, Jay Rock and up and coming sensation, Doechii amongst others. Going down on Thursday (Nov. 12) at 1:00pm, the concert is sure to have a horde of fans lining up as the entry fee will be an unwrapped present for the toy drive.
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People will certainly buy a present just to get to see some of their favorite artists do their thing on stage.
While we don’t know how many songs each artist will get to perform or which ones they’ll be, we’d be gobsmacked if Kendrick didn’t perform “Not Like Us” as it’s been the biggest hit of his career thus far.
Aside from the concert and the toy drive, the second day of the event (Dec. 13) will also feature some family friendly activities along with a raffle for gift giveaways, a job fair that’ll offer employment opportunities on site and free haircuts amongst other cool things.
TDE out here doing much good for the community. Props.
Will you be heading to the TDE Christmas Concert & Toy Drive this week? Let us know in the comments section below.
SZA is giving fans something to look forward to with a teaser for her new SOS deluxe release.
Arriving on Monday, Dec. 9, two years to the day since the original release of SOS, SZA shared a video to social media accompanied by an as-yet-unnamed song which samples the Isley Brothers’ “Voyage to Atlantis”.
The clip itself shows SZA in the woods as she squats by a stream to pee. It closes with overlaid text which sees “Lana” appearing above the words “SOS Deluxe”. The video is captioned with the words, “Clock starts now. Happy anniversary.”
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The mysterious nature of the clip has already sent fans of SZA into overdrive as they attempt to decipher a number of unanswered questions. Firstly, despite telling her followers that the “clock starts now”, it’s unclear when the countdown ends and the project ostensibly arrives.
Some fans have pointed out on Reddit that SZA’s shirt features the number five, while a dark section of dirt also appears to highlight the same number. Speculation has therefore seen a potential release date of Dec. 13 entering the conversation, though no official announcement has been made.
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Secondly, confusion is also reigning in regards to whether SZA’s long-awaited Lana project is now arriving as the previously-announced deluxe edition of her SOS album. Previously, Lana had been confirmed as such before being detailed as an entirely separate project, including in a recent interview with British Vogue.
In the same interview, SZA explained that the music she had recorded for Lana was something of a “welcome shift”.
“I think I am making music from a more beautiful place. From a more possible place versus a more angsty place,” she explained. “I’m not identifying with my brokenness. It’s not my identity. It’s shit that happened to me. Yeah, I experienced cruelty. I have to put it down at some point. Piece by piece, my music is shifting because of that, the lighter I get.”
In late November, SZA appeared on Kai Cenat’s livestream where she claimed a “whole new project” was up her sleeve, admitting it “will be out before the year is over”.
More recently, SZA and Kendrick Lamar announced the co-headlining Grand National tour, which will see the pair performing 21 dates over two months.
The Grand National Tour is slated to kick off in Minnesota on April 19, and then rumbles through Houston, Atlanta, Charlotte, Philly, the New York area, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Detroit, Chicago and Toronto before wrapping up in Washington, D.C., on June 18.
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Kendrick Lamar could easily take the next year off, considering the epic year he’s had thus far but that won’t be the case heading into the following year. Kendrick Lamar and frequent collaborator SZA will embark upon the North American 19-city Grand National Tour, kicking off in the spring.
The Grand National Tour was announced on Tuesday (December 3), just over a week since the release of Kendrick Lamar’s first full-length project GNX on his pgLang recording label and entertainment brand. SZA joined Lamar on GNX standout track “luther,” and has recorded hits with the Compton, Calif. native which include crowdpleasers such as “All The Stars,” among others.
It should be assumed that with all the recent fanfare, this will be one of the hottest tickets in town. However, Cash App Visa Card holders will have access to a pre-sale event on Wednesday (December 4) at 10 am local time. Cash App Visa Card holders will also receive 20% off all Grand National Tour merch when purchased with their card during the city stops.
More about the Cash App Visa pre-sale can be found by clicking here. On Friday (December 6) at 10 am local time, the general sale kicks off on www.grandnationaltour.com.
The tour dates and stops for the Grand National Tour are listed below.
Apr 19 – Minneapolis, MN – U.S. Bank Stadium
Apr 23 – Houston, TX – NRG Stadium
Apr 26 – Arlington, TX – AT&T Stadium
Apr 29 – Atlanta, GA – Mercedes Benz Stadium
May 03 – Charlotte, NC – Bank of America Stadium
May 05 – Philadelphia, PA – Lincoln Financial Field
May 08 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium
May 09 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium
May 12 – Foxborough, MA – Gillette Stadium
May 17 – Seattle, WA – Lumen Field
May 21 – Los Angeles, CA – SoFi Stadium
May 23 – Los Angeles, CA – SoFi Stadium
May 27 – Glendale, AZ – State Farm Stadium
May 29 – San Francisco, CA – Oracle Park
May 31 – Las Vegas, NV – Allegiant Stadium
Jun 04 – St. Louis, MO – The Dome at America’s Center
Jun 06 – Chicago, IL – Soldier Field
Jun 10 – Detroit, MI – Ford Field
Jun 12 – Toronto, ON – Rogers Centre
Jun 16 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium
Jun 18 – Washington, DC – Northwest Stadium
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Photo: Getty
SZA season is upon us, according to the artist herself. The four-time Grammy Award-winner has confirmed that fans will be hearing new music before the year is out, sharing the news as part of a recent appearance on Kai Cenat’s livestream alongside fellow guest Lizzo. Letting slip that a “whole new project” was up her […]
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Kendrick Lamar shifted the entirety of the culture via his war of words with Drake, with the diss track “Not Like Us” becoming a top-charting smash in the process. In a new interview with SZA for Harper’s Bazaar, Kendrick Lamar opens up about the larger meaning behind “Not Like Us” and what he hopes listeners truly get from him and his message.
Employing the “artist interviews artist” strategy that has seemingly enraged a vocal group of journalists, SZA and Kendrick Lamar’s interview session read as a candid conversation between good friends and artistic collaborators.
After an introduction from writer Kaitlyn Greenidge, SZA and Lamar engage in a breezy serve and volley about creativity, reflections of self, and their journeys into the realms of faith. The conversation then turns into SZA asking the question everyone wanted to know but the answer some surprisingly open-ended in some respects.
From Harper’s Bazaar:
S: Can I ask you a hypermasculine question? You can also tell me to shut the f*ck up. What does “Not Like Us” mean to you?
KL: [Laughing] Not like us? Not like us is the energy of who I am, the type of man I represent. Now, if you identify with the man that I represent …
S: Break the man down for me.
KL: This man has morals, he has values, he believes in something, he stands on something. He’s not pandering.
He’s a man who can recognize his mistakes and not be afraid to share the mistakes and can dig deep down into fear-based ideologies or experiences to be able to express them without feeling like he’s less of a man.
If I’m thinking of “Not Like Us,” I’m thinking of me and whoever identifies with that.
The entire conversation is a vital one because Kendrick Lamar isn’t one to hit the interview circuit at this stage of his career and SZA gamely asks questions that a delivered with the care of a friend. There is also a shared vulnerability between the pair that jumps off the page.
Read the whole discussion here.
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Photo: Getty
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Source: Tasos Katopodis / Getty / Keke Palmer / Issa Rae
Keke Palmer and SZA in a buddy comedy produced by Issa Rae? Sign us the hell up for that.
Deadline exclusively reports the four-time Grammy winner will make her acting debut alongside Palmer in a buddy comedy film that Rae will produce under her HOORAE banner.
ColorCreative’s Deniese Davis, Charles D. King, James Lopez, and Poppy Hanks from Macro Film Studios will also produce.
Rap Sh!t director Lawrence Lamont will sit in the director’s chair for the project, with his Rap Sh!t teammate Syreeta Singleton handling the script.
The news comes after Keke Palmer and SZA recently teamed up for an episode of Saturday Night Live with Palmer hosting while SZA was the night’s musical act.
Deadline notes the film’s plot remains a secret and that the film was a product of the CoCre lab at Sony Pictures.
The lab was created by a previous pact between ColorCreative and Columbia Pictures to find and raise emerging diverse screenwriters and help them develop and write their first studio feature using original ideas.
This Role Was An Opportunity SZA Couldn’t Pass Up
SZA was considering numerous projects before joining the buddy comedy because working alongside Palmer was an opportunity she couldn’t say no to.
As for Rae, she has been the talk of the internet lately after her Insecure co-star, Amanda Seales, mentioned their lack of a relationship on a recent episode of Shannon Shape’s podcast, Club Shay Shay.
It looks like Issa Rae is just focusing on rooting for everyone Black, putting people on, and ignoring the outside noise.
For Palmer, this latest project follows her stellar performance on Jordan Peele’s NOPE, as well as her other successful endeavors like her Emmy Award-winning self-created project Turnt Up With the Taylors, and her gameshow hosting gig, Password, which also earned her an Emmy.
We love to see it.
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Dreamville Festival, the annual music event put together by J. Cole and his Dreamville Records team, makes its return to Raleigh, N.C. next month, and the headliners have been announced. Nicki Minaj, SZA, Chris Brown, and the aforementioned Cole are headlining the two-day event.
Dreamville Festival is one of the leading music events and kicks off festival season lovely while showcasing Dreamville’s roster and also supporting North Carolina nonprofits and businesses. The festival will be hosted once more at Dorothea Dix Park, with opportunities for fans to take in local cuisine, and purchase exclusive merch on the grounds.
Hip-Hop Wired was at the festival last year, and it was one of the best live experiences we’ve had in years. This year promises to be just as epic with things kicking off on April 6 with Lil Yachty, ScHoolboy Q, Sexxy Red, Jeremih, Teezo Touchdown, Amaarae, Luh Tyler, and Domani rocking the stage.
On April 7, Rema, Jeezy, Monica, Rae Sremmurd, Key Glock, Muni Long, TiaCorine, and Chase Shakur are on the bill. Of course, no Dreamville Festival would be complete without the Dreamville musical collective which includes J.I.D, EARTHGANG, Bas, Cozz, Lute, and Omen.
“Some of the biggest names in music will travel to Raleigh in only a few short weeks, bringing about one of the most highly anticipated festivals of the year. Our team looks forward to welcoming all of our Day One fans from around the world back to Dreamville Festival,”
said Dreamville Cofounder and Festival President Adam Roy in a statement.
As we’ve shared on our pages before, the festival is far more than music as the Dreamville team will promote a weekend-long series of free events and educational programming, along with platforming local businesses of all kinds.
To learn more about the festival and to purchase tickets, click here. The full lineup is also below.
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Photo: Dreamville/Getty