BY: JAI MICAH July 14, 2023
The people that know me, know for sure that SZA is one of my favorite artists. I think its her ability to fully translate what we feel without knowing. SOS, was definitely worth the wait and was released at the RIGHT time for me.
It is obvious that musical therapy allows us to release certain hormones to relive stress, and improve our moods. But some songs have the ability to reveal parts of ourselves to make us better. That's what makes SZA's artistry so different. She creates timeless bodies of art that can be referenced even years later! She's probably the only artist whose music simply brought me to tears.
I was a junior in high school when CTRL (2017) was released, I immediately fell in love with Garden; so bad that I would scream it in the hallway and annoy my classmates. I wanted people to literally FEEL how I felt when I first heard it. And even now as I go back and re-listen to the album, Drew Barrymore, Anything, Normal Girl, 20 Something, Prom, Doves in the Wind, all have even more special places within my heart. As I grow older, I understand through my experiences. She provides comfort because, as oddly as it may sound, nobody gets me like her.
CTRL (2017) and SOS (2022), are sequential in story telling. CTRL opens, "It is my greatest fear, that if I lost control, or did not have control, things would just, you know, I would be fatal." But about learning the balance between knowing when to let go of the control we so crave; our wants and needs. SOS provides the sense of knowing and confidence, yet still unknowing. Growing with self-love, not letting others control or have an impact of our own self image. There's not a single song on SOS that I can say "I don't relate." I've felt every emotion when it was released.
And even now in 2023, as a recent college graduate, attempting to find myself outside of my education, the feeling kind of sucks. Each song has a universal theme, that can be applied to any situation. Back when I was in relationship trouble, it applied and now in my own self identity finding, it still applies. Gone Girl? Smoking on my Ex Pack? Ghost in the Machine? I love the trending songs, yes of course, but those have special value to me. She writes and sings for those who are normal, and makes it easier to cope with our feelings when it arises. So we don't have to question ourselves, "am I alone on this one?"
Even though we grow, we still make mistakes conduct self destructive behaviors for comfort due to the feeling of wanting control, and it's okay. The ability to be vulnerable enough to accept it and learn, is the strengthening part. It's not a single album by SZA that I don't feel "whole" after listening.
In the words of Solana's mommy, "That's my story and I'm sticking to it!"
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