SZA
I'm a Scorpio with a Pisces moon. I am very critical of myself. I'm actually way less critical of others than I am of myself. I'm in my own head a lot. It's hard and really discouraging.
I was born in St. Louis, but I'm from Maplewood, New Jersey. Maplewood is completely different than the rest of New Jersey. It's very small. It's quietly affluent but more low-key. Lauryn Hill is from my town, though.
I love classical jazz.
I was a funky kid.
I was quiet in high school and relatively unpopular, so being noticed is not something that I'm used to.
Oh, Instagram stresses me out on a very deep level!
Wearing a hijab never made me feel any more conservative - it made me feel safe. Then, after 9/11, I became the butt of a joke on the playground, so I stopped wearing it. Kids can be really cruel when you're the only black girl in your Girl Scout troop.
I love when things that I'm involved in really matter and when people like me back and don't just think I'm corny.
So many people meet and become friends at my shows that didn't know each other before.
I don't listen to my music if I'm not making it.
I did some work on Beyonce and Nick Minaj's 'Feeling Myself.'
I was raised orthodox Muslim. Very sheltered, very conservative.
I was unpopular my whole life.
On Halloween, because we don't celebrate it, my dad would drive me somewhere, anywhere different. Like Little Italy in New York to walk around and teach me all about the food and culture.
I used to be very figurative and also just kind of scared to talk about the way I felt in a literal way.
I don't like to shop. It creates so much anxiety.
I used to be offended when people would compare me to Erykah Badu. Because I'm black, thick, and have large lips? There's nothing similar about us whatsoever, and I felt very disrespected by the fact that people needed to pigeonhole me. I wasn't even raised on Erykah Badu!
I tell the truth through music. Other people tend to catch on and agree with my truth and it turns out we are all really similar.Collection: People
Eternally repeating that cycle of death and rebirth, an existence such as this... truly, mine is what may be called a 'perfect existence'!Collection: Perfect
I’ve kissed death a thousand times beforeCollection: Thousand
When your parents regulate everything you hear and everything you intake, it forces you to get creative in other ways.Collection: Creative
I want people to get out of that nasty habit of needing a label. Every genre for each song is different.Collection: Song
If you stepped out of bounds, or you stepped out of your tumbling path and didn't stick it. By the time you're done, you can count your own damn deductibles to know what your score is about to be. But this is completely different, it's so subjective. There are so many variables that don't make sense. You can't quantify someone's emotional connection to what you feel.Collection: Emotional
I wear boxers all the time. I don't really move like a girl. I mean, unless it's time for me to get dressed or something.Collection: Girl
Singing was more of a hobby, and I was terrified of anyone's opinions. The only reason I kept doing it was because people responded positively, and if they hadn't I don't really know if I'd feel the same. I'm not into fighting for people's affections.Collection: Fighting
I don't listen to my own music, so to me it's awesome that people really like it. I was afraid that it wouldn't connect with everyone. I'm more appreciative than anything.Collection: People
I've always wanted an office job so I can tell someone, "I'm going to take a long lunch," or "I'm out of the office." I don't know why, but I've always seen so much stability in clocking in.Collection: Jobs