Is SZA Related to RZA? Here’s What We Know About the Inspiration Behind This Singer’s Name
It may not be an album yet, but SZA recently released a new single and music video, partnering with singer Ty Dolla $ign. SZA isn’t the performer’s birth name, though.
Is SZA related to the Wu-Tang Clan member, RZA? Here’s what we know about the R&B singer behind “Love Galore,” “Supermodel,” “The Weekend,” and “Hits Different.”
SZA the award-winning artist behind ‘CTRL’
Hailing from Maplewood, New Jersey, this artist since released the album CTRL, earning recognition from the R&B community. Her full name is Solána Imani Rowe, although she often goes by the stage name, SZA.
That includes the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding New Artist and 5 Grammy nominations in 2018. Earlier in 2020, when it came to new music, SZA said a full-length album is far away.
“Music is coming out this year for sure,” SZA said during an interview with Rolling Stone. “An album? Strong words.”
“I can always make music. It’s who I am,” she continued. “So if I started making f*cking sculptures and decide to take up entomology, I’m still probably going to drop something. I am also getting to know myself. Because if I keep trying to regurgitate the same girl, y’all are going to hate that sh*t. And I don’t want that, either.”
Where does SZA’s name come from?
Aside from performing, this singer is known by her birth name, Solána Imani Rowe. So what is the inspiration for her stage name?
According to Yahoo News, SZA previously explained that this name is an acronym derived from the “Supreme Alphabet,” which is “a system of interpreting text by assigning meanings to the letters of the Roman alphabet” in the religious belief system of the Nation of Gods and Earths.
The three letters stand for “sovereign,” “zigzag,” and “Allah” respectively. However, there was another influence behind this name. That was a performer in a popular group from the 1990s.
According to Hollywood Life, “While she is not in the group of veteran rappers known as Wu-Tang Clan, SZA was influenced enough by Wu member RZA to change her name to the current version.”
SZA recently released new music with Ty Dolla $ign
Since bursting onto the music scene, SZA’s worked with a few impressive musicians. That includes Justin Timberlake for “The Other Side,” a song off of the Trolls World Tour soundtrack.
SZA appeared alongside Kendrick Lamar for the Black Panther-inspired album, performing “All The Stars” with the rapper. Recently, SZA partnered with Ty Dolla $ign for her song “Hit Different.”
Within a few hours of its release, the music video for this song trended on YouTube. Some fans even took to social media, sharing their love for SZA and her songs. New music by SZA, including the song “Hit Different,” is available for streaming on platforms like Apple Music and Spotify.
