Solána Imani Rowe, also known as SZA, is someone who seems to have lived countless lives. From each life, she’s been carrying baggage but also making space for growth, which has been expressed in her music throughout the years. From being a sensitive child to feeling like she didn’t fit in in high school, studying marine biology to dropping out and becoming a part-time stripper, and to being with someone for 11 years who now has her blocked on every platform—the list about her life goes on. Her music holds so much of this lived experience, and yet relates to many people dealing with their own chaotic lives. Now that SZA has released the reissue of her second album ‘SOS,’ fans are able to reminisce on just how far her music career has come. Compared to how she sounded in her debut ‘Ctrl’, SZA sounds much more self-assured. Much of her past music contains lyrical vulnerability that perfectly captured a lot of people’s self-doubt and emotional overthinking. On the other hand, ‘LANA’ illustrates new scenarios, mentalities, and aesthetics. On the album cover, SZA stands confidently against a dreamlike background of tall grass, wearing revealing streetwear and insect prosthetics that may recall her childhood habit of “collect[ing] cicada wings.” According to Complex, SZA uses surreal imagery for her albums because she loved how “isolated” she felt, and “that was what I wanted to convey the most.”
This isolated feeling persists in the 15 new songs added to ‘LANA.’ Most of them are chill and gentle, containing explicit lyrics about complicated relationships and dissatisfaction with life. In genre-bending ‘Scorsese Baby Daddy,’ lyrics about SZA’s “addict[ion] to the drama” and “hat[red] to be the one doing the most” are emphasized the most. In ‘Another Life’, she reminisces about a past relationship’s possible outcomes, but is also “Done tryna be your favorite / Done tryin’ to fit your template.” Similarly, in ‘Kitchen,’ she sings along to dreamy instrumentals about an ongoing toxic relationship that makes her hesitate when choosing between her relationship or herself. Despite these emotional challenges, the growing mental clarity coming from being sick of it all is apparent.
Breaking away from this theme, ‘BMF’ is quite playful and upbeat, an unusual twist on the popular song ‘The Girl from Ipanema.’ SZA’s version being about a boy from South Detroit sounds like a more positive affection than many of her songs, giving an innocent crush-like vibe that’s easy to sing along to. There’s also ‘30 For 30’ with Kendrick Lamar, a longtime collaborator of SZA’s even since she first dropped music in ‘Z.’ ‘30 For 30’ isn’t the best of their collaborations, but it’s catchy and charming.
Although ‘LANA’ wasn’t received with the same mind-blown excitement as ‘SOS,’ it definitely was an unusual treat of new music from SZA. The artist told British Vogue that she’s “making music from a more beautiful place,” but her music is still just as raw and relatable to the listeners.
