Lana is the upcoming reissue of the second studio album SOS by American singer SZA. It is scheduled to be released sometime in 2024 through RCA Records.

Background and promotion

Lana
Cover art variant for "Lana": SZA in a yellow camping tent, taking off her grey shirt
First cover art posted to social media
Studio album (reissue) by
SZA
Released2024 (2024)
Label
SZA chronology
SOS
(2022)		 Lana
(2024)

For her second studio album, SOS, American singer-songwriter SZA wrote and recorded over 100 songs within a timespan of five years.[1][2] It was released on December 9, 2022, to widespread acclaim and high commercial success.[3][4] The album garnered a score of 90 on the review aggregate website Metacritic,[5] debuted atop the Billboard 200, broke a string of chart records, and gave SZA several career milestones.[6] Twenty-three songs were included on the standard version's tracklist, curated primarily by Punch, president of SZA's label, Top Dawg Entertainment. The two conflicted regarding the songs SZA wanted to include on SOS; she described Punch as someone with "a very strong opinion" about the matter in a December 2022 Consequence cover story.[7]

During the album rollout, many of SZA's unreleased songs were spreading around the Internet. Fans gravitated towards them and wanted them on the tracklist like SZA did, but Punch, as well as SOS producer Rob Bisel, had reservations.[8] SZA told Rolling Stone in December 2022 that one song, "Joni",[note 1] was excluded because "no one wanted to hear songs that were out for years",[9][10] and another, "Boy from South Detroit", was not deemed exciting enough for inclusion despite the positive reception from fans on Twitter.[11] Such songs, which comprised some of the approximately 100 outtakes, could be included on the deluxe instead, per the information she shared to Consequence,[7] Rolling Stone,[11] and, in January 2023, Most Requested Live.[12] She remarked for the third interview: "There are still songs that didn't make the album that I wanted to make the album, but that's what deluxe and things are for. Sometimes it's 10 songs that didn't make the cut, so we'll see."[13]

On February 25, 2023, Billboard reported that ten songs will be released as part of the deluxe edition of SOS.[14] SZA held a surprise album celebration party in September, in which she officially announced the deluxe version. She described it as a "whole 'nother album" that consists of "seven to ten songs".[15][16] During the event, SZA would perform four of the new tracks: "Saturn", "PSA", "DTM",[note 2] and "Boy from South Detroit".[19] In November 2023, SZA further clarified that the project is "turning into its own album" and thought about releasing it "randomly" as it would be unexpected. She compared herself to Frank Ocean and André 3000 in that she is free to do whatever she wants.[20] Elaborating on her decision to release another full album worth of material, she said that it had become more than expected and referred to the creative process as fun and did not spent too much time living in her "own head".[21]

On December 10, SZA revealed six cover art variants for Lana on her Instagram. As the day also coincided with the one-year anniversary of her second studio album, she described the feeling of having the album out for a year as life-changing and confessed that she still has not yet "processed this year".[22] In response to the post, Billboard speculated the release date was slated for December 15 due to SZA wearing the jersey shirt number 15.[23]

Title

SZA, whose real name is Solana Rowe, used one of her nicknames to give SOS its title,[24] and the same was true for Lana. She got her nickname "Lana" at 13 years old, when she planned to have her first name tattooed on her. According to her, she had to pay $10 per letter, but having only $40, she used only the last four letters of "Solana" for her tattoo.[25]

Notes

  1. ↑ Released online in 2021[7]
  2. ↑ Then called "Diamond Boy"[17] and "OD"[18]

References

  1. ↑ Exposito, Suzy (February 23, 2023). "Your Favorite Artist's Favorite Artist: How SZA Went from Cult Star to Pop Superstar". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  2. ↑ Rowley, Glenn (October 17, 2022). "SZA Reveals She Recorded 'A Hundred' Songs for Sophomore Album, Which She Says Is Coming 'Any Day'". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  3. ↑ Williams, Sophie (February 23, 2023). "How SZA Inspired a Generation of R&B Storytellers: 'She's a Radical Light'". NME. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  4. ↑ Mitchell, Gail; Unterberger, Andrew (October 5, 2023). "Why SZA's SOS Could Bring R&B Back to the Grammys Big Four". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  5. ↑ Elibert, Mark. "TDE's Punch Gets Into Spat with Fan Claiming He Mismanages SZA". Complex. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  6. ↑ Anderson, Trevor (December 9, 2023). "1 Year of SOS: 8 Records & Achievements for SZA's Blockbuster Album". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 Wicker, Jewel (December 12, 2022). "SZA Is Trying to Save Herself". Consequence. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  8. ↑ Aswad, Jem (February 22, 2023). "SZA to Release Deluxe Edition of SOS with 10 Bonus Tracks". Variety. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  9. ↑ Yates, Shanique (December 21, 2023). "SZA Claims Team Prevented These Fan-Favorites from Appearing on SOS". Revolt. Archived from the original on December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  10. ↑ Inman, DeMicia (December 22, 2022). "SZA Explains Why Certain Fan-Favorite Songs Were Excluded from New Album, SOS". Vibe. Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  11. 1 2 Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (December 21, 2023). "SZA Claims Her Team Blocked Fan-Favorite Songs from SOS". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  12. ↑ Hopper, Alex (January 26, 2023). "SZA Teases 'Surprises' Coming Soon". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  13. ↑ Skinner, Tom (January 26, 2023). "SZA Teases 'Surprises Coming Soon'". NME. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  14. ↑ Richards, Will (February 25, 2023). "SZA to release 10 unheard songs on deluxe version of SOS". NME. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  15. ↑ Brodsky, Rachel (September 9, 2023). "SZA Says SOS Deluxe Is Actually "A Whole Nother Album" Called Lana". Stereogum. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  16. ↑ Lyttle, Zoey; Blanchet, Brenton (September 9, 2023). "SZA Announces Deluxe Version of Sophomore Album SOS — Titled Lana — Featuring '7 to 10' New Songs". People. Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  17. ↑ Abraham, Mya (October 3, 2023). "SZA Compares Upcoming Deluxe Album Lana to Lil Uzi Vert's LUV vs. the World 2". Vibe. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  18. ↑ Fisher, Caroline (August 25, 2023). "Justin Bieber Joins SZA in New Music Video for 'Snooze'". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  19. ↑ Kelly, Tyler Damara (September 11, 2023). "SZA Reveals Forthcoming Deluxe Edition of Her Album, SOS, Is Called Lana". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  20. ↑ Powell, Jon (November 29, 2023). "SZA provides update on Lana project: "It's become more than I expected"". Revolt. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  21. ↑ Trapp, Malcolm (November 29, 2023). "SZA Says She Can Drop Lana Randomly Because "No One's Actually Expecting" It". Rap-Up. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  22. ↑ Geraghty, Hollie (December 11, 2023). "SZA reveals Lana cover art, celebrates one-year anniversary of SOS". NME. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  23. ↑ Iasimone, Ashley (December 10, 2023). "SZA Reveals Six Variations of Lana Cover Art, Celebrates 1-Year Anniversary of SOS". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  24. ↑ Gumede, Bongeka; Tshabalala, Gugulethu (January 20, 2023). "One Album, Two Takes: SZA's Latest Offering Is a Stellar Follow-Up to Ctrl". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  25. ↑ Aswad, Jem (December 11, 2023). "SZA's New Album Lana: Everything We Know So Far". Variety. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
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