SZA fans are hungry for a follow-up album after her 2017 release, "Ctrl," and she's been hard at work — clocking 12-hour days in the studio — to give fans what they've been asking for. "I'm different, so how could [my music] not be different?" she told POPSUGAR in March 2021. "So much of me is in my music — it's literally verbatim whatever's on my mind, and I see the world way differently than I did [before] . . . I'm just trying to have fun and really let my heart speak and get out of my head."
In Sept. 2020, SZA released her first lead single since 2017, "Hits Different," featuring Ty Dolla Sign. A few months later, she released her song "Good Days" on Christmas Day. She then went on to be featured on Doja Cat's "Kiss Me More."
On Dec. 21, 2021, SZA released her breakup track, "I Hate U," followed by a music video featuring LaKeith Stanfield on Jan. 7. After winning her first Grammy for best pop duo/group performance for her collaboration with Doja Cat on "Kiss Me More," SZA confirmed that the new album is done and awaiting a release date. "I just actually finished it up in Hawaii recently, so just turning it in," she told Variety at the Grammys. "It's probably my most unisex project yet. It's definitely for everybody in a different way."
She has since released her highly anticipated singles "Good Days" and "Shirt," much to the excitement of fans. In an interview with Billboard on Nov. 16, SZA revealed that the new album is titled "S.O.S." and shared a projected release date of December 2022, a deadline that has her feeling "stressed." "I hate the red tape analytics of dropping anything — it's so stressful," she said. She added that the pressure to release new music has intensified, but she only plans to put out the finished album when she's ready.
On Nov. 30, she shared the album cover on Twitter, a photo of herself sitting on the end of a diving board over the ocean. SZA's sophomore album will make its debut on Dec. 9.
