NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 15: SZA attends the 27th Annual Webby Awards on May 15, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Webby Awards)
As we near the one-year anniversary of her hit SOS album, SZA is speaking on the creative process behind her bops.
During a sit-down with The Wall Street Journal, SZA shared that — after doing her thing in the studio — she ultimately leaves feeling “empty” (in a good way).
“When I leave the studio, I feel better and empty. There’s no better sleep than empty-brain sleep, and that can only come after I’ve been in the studio for 10 hours and done something good in there.”
However, don’t get it twisted, as she’s big on returning to her work and making any changes she deems necessary. In fact, she went as far as declaring, “If you accept my first draft, I won’t trust you.”
One such instance of someone running with her first draft appears through her recent project with Drake, “Slime You Out.” She jokingly questioned if he was “trying to sabotage” her before sharing, “When things come from an effortless space, I almost can’t enjoy it.”
“I just handed in the first draft to Drake, and he’s putting it on his album. I’m scared because I handed in second vocals and he didn’t use that. And now I’m like, ‘Are you trying to sabotage me?’ I know that’s not true. I literally know that’s not true, but that’s how bad I feel about my first draft. When things come from an effortless space, I almost can’t enjoy it.”
While acknowledging the rawness of her first drafts, she was sure to point out, “The music is boring compared to the diary.”
Moving along, SZA also touched on how the projects that come from the top of her head appear to do the best.
“The songs that I care so much about, that I tried so hard on, people be like, ‘That’s nice.’ But the s**t that took no thought and came out of my mouth in five seconds? ‘Girl, that’s the one.'”
While discussing how her effortless moves bring on the greatest praise, SZA also revealed that her well-received decision to have Justin Bieber star in “Snooze” was also a last-minute choice.
“Justin wasn’t even in the video until the video was already being shot. Him and Hailey [Bieber] were randomly the first people to hit me on FaceTime after SOS dropped. [Bieber] showed up and he was down as f**k for the whole day, and didn’t trip about nothing.”
Speaking of her recent collabs, Phoebe Bridgers — the singer featured on “Ghost in the Machine” — mentioned how SZA possesses “a straightforward creative vision” when it comes to her artistry.
“She has a straightforward creative vision, and everyone just listens to her. It seems like she’s the head of everything.”
While SZA’s creativity and rawness have earned her a spot as a major player in the music game, she notes that she worries about just how relatable some of her fans find her work.
“If they relate too much [to the music], then they must be having a very hard time.”
