I don’t exactly remember when I started listening to SZA, I’m sure I’d heard her plenty of times, but it never really registered. But the minute I heard “Open Arms”, my obsession with SZA was kickstarted. I immediately jumped onto Spotify and added the song to my playlist. Eventually, it became the top song on my Spotify for two years running. It was the first of many songs from her that would make their way into my playlists and that was all it took to become a SZA fanatic.

SZA’s debut, “Ctrl”, is one of my favorite albums of all time, with my top 10 songs on Spotify this year all being off Ctrl. When the album dropped in 2017, it was new and different. It put SZA on the charts as Billboard’s No. 1 R&B Album, establishing her as a truly unique artist. 

Unlike more conventional albums, Ctrl often does not follow a rhyme scheme or typical verse-chorus-verse format. Instead, she simply says exactly what she thinks and feels, giving the album a distinct sense of reality. 

Part of why I love SZA is because her music has so much character and personality that it feels like she’s talking to you. In each track you can tell she’s holding nothing back, it sounds like she never wrote the lyrics down or rehearsed them. 

Another factor that adds to SZA’s appeal as an artist is the general theme in all of her songs. She consistently expresses her need to feel wanted. She longs to be someone who can feel loved when she’s not dating someone, someone who feels pretty without others telling her she is and someone who feels comfortable alone, but she’s not. And she conveys this helpless sense of self perfectly in every line.

And although many can’t relate to her songs’ scenarios directly, the common theme of needing to love and be loved present in all her songs makes them universally relatable.

So, as you could probably guess, I was excited about the release of her new album. 

“LANA”, the Deluxe version of SZA’s album “SOS” was originally teased in November of 2023 on her Instagram. But with delay after delay, fans began to grow skeptical of it being released anytime soon. 

Finally, on Dec. 3, 2024, SZA announced the Grand National Tour with Kendrick Lamar, hinting to fans that that album was soon to be released. Two weeks later she dropped the long-awaited album “LANA”.

SZA originally added 15 new tracks to the album, but then on Superbowl Sunday, released four additional tracks before her halftime performance with Kendrick Lamar, bringing the album to a whopping 42 total songs. 

My favorite thing about LANA was how cohesive each track is with one another, however, they are not necessarily consistent with the original SOS album. With LANA being over two hours long, why not just make it its own album? 

After listening to the new 19 tracks, I would say they’re pretty hit or miss. My five bottom-ranked tracks probably didn’t need to be put on the album at all, but my top eight were so good I wanted them all at #1.

When comparing LANA to Ctrl, it sounds a little more generic. Songs like “My Turn”, and “BMF”, are not necessarily bad, but sound like any other pop song. Ctrl is an album with very few skips, while LANA is not an album you can just listen to from top to bottom. You’re not going to like every song. Regardless, it’s still a good album to put on shuffle and skip around for a while.

If you haven’t listened to the album yet, I would definitely say it’s worth your time. LANA includes catchy, upbeat songs like BMF, 30 for 30, Another Life, Saturn, and Scorsese Baby Daddy which are fun to sing along to and perfect for the radio. But if you’re feeling in the mood for something slower, songs like Open Arms, Crybaby, Drive, Kitchen and Chill Baby are perfect for a late-night drive. SZA does an overall great job at covering all her bases and making a well-rounded album with songs for everyone.