SZA Discusses AI and Authenticity
SZA opened up in a cover interview about her artistic evolution, upcoming music, and how AI is shaping her creative process. She reflected on her Super Bowl performance, navigating fame, and experiences at the White House while emphasizing authenticity in her R&B work. The conversation highlights her continued trendsetting in R&B and pop.
SZA's concerns about AI in music center on its potential to harm emerging artists and misrepresent Black music traditions. In a recent interview, she questioned the prevalence of AI covers of new artists like Olivia Dean, arguing that they divert streams and revenue from the original creators. She also expressed offense at what she described as "weird, stereotypical struggle music" being generated by AI within Black genres. Her Super Bowl LIX performance was a collaboration with longtime friend and former labelmate Kendrick Lamar. The duo performed their collaboration "All the Stars" from the "Black Panther" soundtrack, as well as "Luther" from Lamar's recent album, "GNX". The halftime show, which also featured appearances by Samuel L. Jackson and Serena Williams, was produced by a team that included Lamar's company, pgLang, and Roc Nation. The artist's interactions with the White House have been contentious. In December 2025, she criticized the Trump administration for using her song "Big Boys" in a pro-ICE social media post, calling the move "rage-baiting" and "evil." A White House spokeswoman responded by thanking SZA for drawing more attention to the work of ICE officers. Musically, SZA's momentum continues with the deluxe version of her acclaimed 2022 album "SOS," reissued as "LANA." The expanded album features additional tracks and follows a period of significant success, including her first headlining arena tour in 2023. Her collaboration with Kendrick Lamar, "Luther," topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 13 weeks, becoming her longest-running number-one single.
