SZA released her debut studio album, Ctrl, on June 9, 2017. Seven years later, it’s still one of her best works. The LP contained songs like “Love Galore,” “20 Something,” “The Weekend” and “Broken Clocks,” all of which are RIAA-certified Platinum.
On Sunday (June 9), the TDE songstress took a moment to reflect on the body of work via her Instagram Stories. “Seven years ago today. Seven is my number. Today will be excellent. Happy birthday, Ctrl. Thank you for saving my life,” she said.
SZA also hinted at her Governors Ball performance. The artist is scheduled to headline the event at the Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, New York. Other acts on the bill include Don Toliver and Kevin Abstract — minus Victoria Monét, who was forced to pull from the event due to health-related issues.
Ctrl debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and since its release, the project hasn’t left the chart yet. Spanning 14 tracks, it included guest appearances from Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, Isaiah Rashad and James Fauntleroy.
“I probably could have made Ctrl five years ago, but I couldn’t have made it two years ago. I was probably at my most free five or six years ago, and then I psyched myself out,” SZA shared with Cosmopolitan weeks after the album’s release. “It’s like in the Bible, ‘And then they knew they were naked.’ I knew I was naked, and it just crippled me from there on. It just went downhill. Now, it’s like I know that I’m naked, and I don’t give a f**k.”
SZA celebrated the five-year anniversary of Ctrl by updating it with eight new songs. Listeners were introduced to an alternative version of “Love Galore” and “2AM,” a remix of PARTYNEXTDOOR’s “Come and See Me,” among others.
Fast-forward to the present day and fans still have the singer’s LANA project to look forward to. However, she was forced to start the project over due to unauthorized leaks.