Cousins!
SZA graced the cover of Time 100 NEXT issue and not only did sis serve multiple looks she also spoke on her journey in music and the importance of representation for Black women!
Introducing the 2022 #TIME100Next, featuring 100 emerging leaders from around the world who are shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership.
Introducing the 2022 #TIME100Next, featuring 100 emerging leaders from around the world who are shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership https://t.co/ewpU8GuMlZ
— TIME (@TIME) September 28, 2022
It’s been 5 years since her debut studio album CTRL took the music scene by storm helping her to earn her very first Grammy. In a behind the scenes clip of SZA’s Time 100 photo shoot, she spoke on the different versions of Black women / Black people that exist and how they are often defined by circulated perceptions.
📸: Time 100 NEXT
“I think that was my job—to shine a tiny light onto whatever versions of us exist. Whether you’re Black, you’re white or anything, your job is to create a clear lens of humanity for whatever you represent or whoever you represent.”
“I think that was my job—to shine a tiny light onto whatever versions of us exist. Whether you’re Black, you’re white or anything, your job is to create a clear lens of humanity for whatever you represent or whoever you represent,” says SZA.
She also explains how there are so many complexities to being Black and how it is important to share these experiences through art.
📸: Time 100 NEXT
“SZA and I first met years ago in Minneapolis. I was a fan of her music, so when she came to town, my friends and I went to her show. We ended up taking a selfie together in the bathroom. I still send her that selfie from time to time, because we had just met and didn’t know that we would have this long relationship. A year later, I booked a tour and she was the headliner,” says Lizzo about SZA.
“Throughout the experience, she was just so kind and so cool. After that, I literally watched her blow up. When she dropped CTRL, her debut studio album, it was a cultural f-cking reset. She changed the world! The authenticity in her craft—the way she’s able to tell her story and the way she uses melody—is extraordinary. No one can replicate that. When she’s onstage, she’s timeless. She’s someone who’s the real deal, and I think that she’s well on her way to being regarded as one of the greatest songwriters and singers of all time. All she needs is that pen and that voice and her story, and she’s going to be with us for a long time.’
Meet the emerging leaders shaping the future #TIME100Next https://t.co/FD1MwICggW pic.twitter.com/R6L7qjCZin
— TIME (@TIME) September 28, 2022
Fellow creatives such as Keke Palmer, Jack Harlow and more have been named apart of this year’s Time 100 NEXT list.