“The Weekend” hasn’t been the same since 2017. That was the year SZA told the girls she had “it covered for the weekend.”
For those not already familiar with her art, “The Weekend” was one of the hit singles off of her debut album “Ctrl” that catapulted SZA and her music into the mainstream. Born Solána Imani Rowe, SZA is a New Jersey native who’s been professionally releasing music since around 2012, with EPs and a list of singles.
Since starting her music career, SZA has enjoyed success in the industry, breaking free from the narrative that “R&B is dead.”
Her career has landed her 39 songs on the Billboard charts, seven of which were ranked Top 10 hits, per Billboard. Most recently, her song “Kill Bill” became her first-ever song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 list. In a Twitter post, she noted how much the moment meant to her.
“took me a over week to process cause I dreamt of this my entire career.. didn’t feel real lol, still doesn’t,” she shared. “but I wanna say THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS. Every person, every fan base every ear that listened and pushed for me. Can’t believe we have a number 1 record.”
took me a over week to process cause I dreamt of this my entire career🥹.. didn’t feel real lol, still doesn’t. but I wanna say THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS. Every person ,every fan base every ear that listened and pushed for me . Can’t believe we have a number 1 record😢 🩸🆘 🔪🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/mpk9ZEXNpR
— SZA (@sza) May 3, 2023
According to Billboard, the 33-year-old artist recently made history with her album “SOS” having the longest run on the top of the R&B charts for 18 weeks, surpassing the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.
A separate Billboard report noted that SZA had earned over $30 million on the North American leg of her “SOS” tour.
With so much success in her music career, it’s almost hard to envision doing anything else. A previous report by AfroTech noted that the singer once had aspirations to be a marine biologist.
While her interest in sea life has not faded, she’s into music for the long game, amassing a fortune throughout her career. Based on a report from Celebrity Net Worth, the “Hit Different” singer has a $6 million net worth.
A part of SZA’s success is her current record deal. The R&B singer is in a position where she can receive a greater than usual percentage from her work. This success was made possible because her team built intentional anticipation around the artist early in her career.
Three years later, SZA’s record deal is still one of the best I have seen or read about, which is, perhaps, one of the reasons why TDE is in no hurry for her to complete it… https://t.co/Uj1vSfXgCY
— Z (@BrianZisook) October 5, 2020
According to DJ Booth, SZA is in a 70/30 split in a joint deal with Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. Industry insider and veteran executive Jimmy Iovine explained how it went down in a 2017 interview with Pharrell Williams and Scott Verner on OTHERtone on Beats 1.
“Five years ago, she gets 15 percent, 12 percent. [Now], they own everything and got a 70/30 split the other way. Cause they were able to build a buzz in technology on their own,” Iovine explained.
Based on a Grammy News report, artists that are able to build a buzz at the beginning of their careers see it work out in their favor, preventing them from falling prey to traditional and often predatory 360 deals.
“The deals certain young artists can sign, as well as the heretofore un-heard-of leverage they can bring to the table during their first encounters with major league players, has become a fresh success story of the modern music industry,” according to Grammy News.