Last month, Top Dawg Entertainment artist SZA expressed frustration at continuous pushbacks of a new album, her first since 2014's Z. While she told the label "I actually quit" in a now-deleted post on Twitter, the vocalist is maintaining her relationship with the label hasn't been severed.
In a new interview with Complex, the vocalist insisted that rumours of her leaving TDE were blown out of proportion.
"Me and [label president Terrence 'Punch' Henderson] never get along—that's every day," she told the publication. "They call me one of the homies. We're all different, and that was hard to understand [at first] because they're tough-love people and hard to read, but I dig it now. I don't have any issues with my label. My label has been nothing but supportive of everything I've wanted to do."
Some even thought her comments signalled an exit from the industry entirely, but she says that isn't the case.
"I'll probably just do something different, something visual, probably film," she continued. "I'm really frustrated, and I'm kind of over it. I have a lot of anxiety and there's a lot going on in my life."
As far as the new album goes, the interview reveals that the effort is darker than SZA's previous projects, thematically dealing with control and honesty in writing about her family life, her conservative upbringing, relationships and self-esteem. The vocalist also revealed she has spent time working with the likes of James Fauntleroy, Thundercat, Tyler, the Creator, Boots, Rick Rubin, Frank Ocean, and labelmate Kendrick Lamar.
"Completing this [album] and these last couple of moments on the clock before this project is done are definitely the most pivotal moments of my life," she told Complex. "Growing up as a woman, making tough decisions, and sticking by my own shit is necessary."
You can read her entire interview here.
While no formal release had ever been put forward for SZA's record, she told Entertainment Weekly in May of this year that it would be out "while everyone is still in a bathing suit."
Punch told Billboard in March of this year that SZA's record is "phenomenal."
"Between her last album and this one, there's so much clarity in her vocals and her tone," he continued. "It's much more deliberate than it was on [Z]. There was a lot of ambient, vibe-y, moody type sounding records [on that album]. With this one, she's giving you her, with a level of clarity that you haven't heard from her yet."
In a new interview with Complex, the vocalist insisted that rumours of her leaving TDE were blown out of proportion.
"Me and [label president Terrence 'Punch' Henderson] never get along—that's every day," she told the publication. "They call me one of the homies. We're all different, and that was hard to understand [at first] because they're tough-love people and hard to read, but I dig it now. I don't have any issues with my label. My label has been nothing but supportive of everything I've wanted to do."
Some even thought her comments signalled an exit from the industry entirely, but she says that isn't the case.
"I'll probably just do something different, something visual, probably film," she continued. "I'm really frustrated, and I'm kind of over it. I have a lot of anxiety and there's a lot going on in my life."
As far as the new album goes, the interview reveals that the effort is darker than SZA's previous projects, thematically dealing with control and honesty in writing about her family life, her conservative upbringing, relationships and self-esteem. The vocalist also revealed she has spent time working with the likes of James Fauntleroy, Thundercat, Tyler, the Creator, Boots, Rick Rubin, Frank Ocean, and labelmate Kendrick Lamar.
"Completing this [album] and these last couple of moments on the clock before this project is done are definitely the most pivotal moments of my life," she told Complex. "Growing up as a woman, making tough decisions, and sticking by my own shit is necessary."
You can read her entire interview here.
While no formal release had ever been put forward for SZA's record, she told Entertainment Weekly in May of this year that it would be out "while everyone is still in a bathing suit."
Punch told Billboard in March of this year that SZA's record is "phenomenal."
"Between her last album and this one, there's so much clarity in her vocals and her tone," he continued. "It's much more deliberate than it was on [Z]. There was a lot of ambient, vibe-y, moody type sounding records [on that album]. With this one, she's giving you her, with a level of clarity that you haven't heard from her yet."
