SZA’s been working on her third studio album and says she’s motivated by her desire to preserve humanity.
Speaking to i-D, she explains that desire comes from the proliferation of AI.
“I feel like I’m at war because of AI,” she says, reflecting on the rise of AI-generated songs and artists.
“It’s happening disproportionately with Black music. Why am I hearing AI covers of Olivia Dean, when Olivia Dean just came the f*** out? She can’t even collect the streams,” she says. “I’m also really offended by the type of Black music that’s coming out of AI. Weird, stereotypical struggle music.”
While there are many other women in the music industry, SZA says she feels like she’s competing against “anti-intellectualism and doing things easy,” rather than fellow pop and R&B stars.
“The type of blend of information my human experience provides, AI can’t even be prompted to f*** with,” she says. “I want to just let this angst drive me into bizarre directions.”
SZA adds she’s “been dabbling [in] a little bit in everything,” working with Steve Lacy and a live band.
“I’m trying to just open my brain and open my heart, channelling awesome humanity s*** right now,” SZA explains. “Humanity is my ‘why’—preservation of what’s left, extreme expression of what is, and a desperate plea.”
SZA has always had a driving factor for her albums. “With Ctrl, I wanted to set myself apart,” she says. “I wanted people to know that I can write.”
Her intention with SOS was to prove she had more to show the world. “I could bang in a mainstream space if I wanted to,” she says. “I could do my little angry rap, and I didn’t have to keep it just for me. I could let other people hear it.”
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