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SZA, Frank Ocean, Future
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The eagerly awaited third album by SZA, LANA, is imminent. Although she has not disclosed much since announcing its upcoming release last September, the Top Dawg Entertainment artist shared insights regarding her creative process during a recent conversation with Kendrick Lamar for Harper’s Bazaar on Monday (Oct. 21).
While the main focus of their dialogue centered around Lamar’s standout achievements this year, his track “Not Like Us” and a look back at his upbringing, he redirected the conversation to SZA towards the conclusion. The “Love Galore” singer shared her experience of writing a song in the summer of 2023 that she was unable to release as it was “too raw.”
“Being in the studio can sometimes be overwhelming. Perhaps that’s the reason I immerse myself and channel other personas,” she explained. “That’s the reason I take on the guise of you or Frank [Ocean] or Future, as it’s simpler. It’s much easier to express myself through their perspectives than to confront some of the difficult truths I reveal to myself.”
“I suppose I aim to be gentler with myself. Thus, I think I shouldn’t view things through my own lens but rather through someone else’s,” SZA continued. She later spoke about how Kendrick Lamar’s work from 2022, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, motivated her to “remove the ego from the equation.”
While SZA and Ocean have yet to officially join forces in a collaboration, the Blonde artist has notably covered SZA’s chart-topping track “The Weekend.” Conversely, Future has connected with the St. Louis talent on tracks including DJ Khaled’s “BEAUTIFUL” and Travis Scott’s “TELEKINESIS.”
Regarding her individual music projects, SZA launched “Saturn” in February, along with live, accelerated, a cappella, and instrumental versions of the piece. As of now, there’s no confirmation on whether it will feature in LANA, which has already made its way online ahead of the schedule.