SZA

She is one of the most aspiring black female artists in the pop industry, securing a total of 11 RIAA gold and platinum certifications till now. From the words of Doja Cat herself, SZA is an “epitome of talent” that backs up her feat as the fourth black female artist to bring over $100 million in revenue in a single music tour (SOS tour in 2022). 

SZA has gained unprecedented momentum in the last six years starting with her first studio album “CTRL” in 2017. She made her resume undeniable and amassed millions through albums, music tours, and endorsement deals with Calvin Klein, SKIMS, and more. Her “SOS” album alone reached 1.2 billion streams on Spotify bringing $3.6 million to date. 

SZA currently boasts a wealth of $6 million, and the delayed “Lana” album might add more to her fortune after she announced starting the album from scratch. 

SZA has been in the music industry for a decade now which started snow-bowling in 2017 with the “CTRL” release. All the feats that the singer has been able to achieve in such a short period of time speak volumes of her talent and grind. 

• Made connections with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) president Terrence "Punch" Henderson during the CMJ New Music Report in 2011.
• Henderson heard one of SZA’s early music, and shocked by her talent the two stayed in touch for some time. 
• Released her first EP “See.SZA.Run” in 2012 on streaming platforms. The making of “See.SZA.Run” was totally accidental as her friend recommended making more. She said in a Billboard interview stating, “See.SZA.Run” was totally accidental. I just recorded one song and then another and then it was like ‘You should probably record some other songs and make something out of it…”
• Released her second EP “S” in 2013, creating a buzz in the community.
• Signed a contract with “Top Dawg Entertainment” the same year becoming the first female artist of TDE. 
• Under the TDE label, SZA’s third EP “Z” was released in 2014 on all platforms (CD, LP, digital download, streaming).  
• Her first single “Child's Play” came out featuring “Chance the Rapper”.
• Performed on “Consideration" with Rihanna live at the 2016 Brit Awards.
• SZA signed her first major-label recording deal with RCA Records, in April 2017.

Born in a Muslim family while being a part of the black community didn’t exactly play in favor of SZA. It’s best described in her own words, “There's something different about growing up black and Muslim, especially in New Jersey. It's like when I left the mosque and I left my dad, I felt unprotected, but I also felt a weird sense of pride, like I was involved in this other way of living that was cool to me.”

• Raised in Maplewood, New Jersey, by her mother Audrey Rowe, an executive at AT&T, and Abdul-Alim Mubarak-Rowe, an executive producer for CNN, in the Orthodox Muslim tradition.
• She attended a Muslim prep school on top of her regular schooling.
• Solána was subjected to bullying in 7th grade after the 9/11 attacks while attending Columbia High School.
• She participated in cheerleading, and gymnastics in her school days.
• Upon finding SZA’s musical talent, her father introduced Rowe to jazz artists Miles Davis and John Coltrane. 
• She enrolled at Delaware State University to study marine biology but dropped out in her final semester. 
• Rowe started drinking and smoking weed and started bartending at a strip club to earn a living.
• After leaving Delaware State, she spent a summer at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and later interned for the “Billionaire Boys Club”.
• Continued her music while taking the stage name from the Supreme Alphabet, taking influence from rapper RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan.