SZA served as the latest guest on First We Feast’s “Hot Ones,” which aired on Thursday (Sept. 26) morning. During her one-on-one with host Sean Evans, the St. Louis-born songstress discussed her evolution, “toxic” relationship with music, and touring, among other topics.
Switching things up from what viewers would usually expect to see, SZA wore a prosthetic mask “for no other reason than I’m just tired of being not a bug.” She previously debuted the critter-inspired aesthetic, courtesy of FX makeup artists Malina Stearns and Sasha Glasser, in June. That same month, the "Broken Clocks" singer teased an unreleased song and video where she played a blue cricket.
“Is it me? I’m tired of being me,” SZA joked with Evans, who confirmed that her third album, LANA, is “coming soon.” While she didn’t reveal much about the project — probably to avoid more leaks — the Grammy winner did take some time to reflect on fan favorites like Ctrl and SOS.
“People weren’t really f**king with it so crazy when it first dropped. That was more of a slow ascension,” SZA said of her 2017 effort, which celebrated its seven-year anniversary earlier in the year. She continued, “If anything, I’m just surprised how all of it played out — not the way I thought it would, but more than I ever expected at the same time. Yeah, n**gas didn’t f**k with Ctrl so crazy in the first year [or] two years, but now we’re seeing the word ‘classic’ is slightly adjacent to what I created.”
On the topic of her chart-topping SOS, SZA shared what it took to get a posthumous Ol’ Dirty Bastard verse on the standout cut “Forgiveless”: “So much begging. I expected them to tell me no, actually.” The late emcee joined a relatively short list of guest features, including Travis Scott, Don Toliver, and Phoebe Bridgers.
Closing out the “Hot Ones” episode, she revealed, “I’m going through a breakup, it’s hot as f**k, and these [wings] were enjoyable. I’m excited for my album. I’m praying for his relationship and thank you for teaching me so much today.”