SZA Teases Mystery Collaboration
SZA is previewing a new collaborative project with an unnamed artist, building excitement among fans while her "SOS" album continues its success. The R&B superstar has also expressed feeling "at war" with AI in music, particularly concerned about its impact on Black artists. She's committed to keeping her upcoming work human-centered and prioritizing authenticity over algorithmic creation.
SZA's landmark album "SOS" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 318,000 equivalent album units sold in its first week. The album's initial run included the largest streaming week ever for an R&B album, accumulating 404.58 million on-demand streams. The album's success is enduring, becoming the first by a female artist to spend over 100 weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard 200. "SOS" also set a record for the most weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Top R&B Albums chart, surpassing The Weeknd's "After Hours". Its single "Kill Bill" became SZA's first song to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In a March 2026 interview with i-D Magazine, SZA elaborated on her concerns with AI, stating it is "disproportionately" affecting Black music. She expressed offense at the "weird, stereotypical struggle music" being generated by AI and pointed out that emerging artists like Olivia Dean can't collect streaming revenue from AI covers of their work. This isn't a new concern for the singer, who previously spoke out against the environmental impact of AI in July 2025. She urged fans to research "environmental racism," citing how the energy and pollution from AI data centers disproportionately harm Black and Brown communities in cities like Memphis. While the collaborator for her new project remains officially unconfirmed, reports in March 2026 suggested she has recorded a joint album with musician Steve Lacy. This would mark their first official collaboration, though Lacy has previously worked with SZA's TDE labelmate Kendrick Lamar. The new project follows the deluxe version of her last album, re-released as "Lana" on December 20, 2024, which featured 15 additional tracks. SZA has also confirmed she is working on her third studio album, which she has suggested will have a mix of alternative and spiritual themes.
