SZA in ‘Ideal Situation’ and Not Rushing Her New Music

Fans anticipating SZA’s long-awaited sophomore album could be left anticipating a little longer.

In a recent interview with Complex, the “Good Days” singer opened up about the follow-up to her 2017 debut, Ctrl. While she says the project is complete, the R&B star is in no hurry to release it.

“I just recently finished it up in Hawaii,” she told the outlet in April. On the red carpet at the Met Gala in May, she again said “My album is, like, ready to go—more than I’ve ever felt before. So this summer, it will be a SZA summer.” Summer came and went and still no SZA album and definitely no SZA season.

“I appreciate [my fans] patience, but constantly trying to people-please and fulfill expectations instead of just thinking about what you need can deter you from your true path,” she explained, laying herself transparent in the conversation. “And the next thing you know you’re somebody that you never signed up to be. Even with this album, I just wanna be better than my last project to myself. I wanna be a better writer. I wanna be a better artist, musician… a better thinker. I just wanna do things that make myself proud and interested.”

Being driven by what feels good to her, the singer explained the new album as “a little bit of everything. It’s a little aggressive. Some parts are incredibly soft. Some of them are ballads. I don’t know. It’s all over the place. It’s just where my heart is.”

Right now, she is in an “ideal situation” with no interest in dropping an album on anyone’s time but hers. “I don’t have any deadlines,” she continued, “because, at the end of the day, when my shit comes out, it comes out. And if ever I lose my ability to choose, I have no problem vacating my current life and doing something different.”

That seems to be the verdict. We’ll get a new album when we get it.

Are you patiently waiting for SZA’s album? Let us know in the comments below.

Photo via Getty / Phillip Faraone