SOS (SZA album)

SOS
Cover art for "SOS": SZA sitting at the edge of a diving board in the middle of the sea
Digital cover
Studio album by
SZA
ReleasedDecember 9, 2022
Recorded2017–2022
Studio
Genre
Length67:51
Label
Producer
SZA chronology
Ctrl
(2017) 		SOS
(2022) 		Lana
(TBA)
Singles from SOS
  1. "Good Days"
    Released: December 25, 2020
  2. "I Hate U"
    Released: December 3, 2021
  3. "Shirt"
    Released: October 28, 2022
  4. "Nobody Gets Me"
    Released: January 6, 2023
  5. "Kill Bill"
    Released: January 10, 2023
  6. "Snooze"
    Released: April 25, 2023

SOS (an initialism for Save Our Ship and Save Our Souls) is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter SZA. It was released on December 9, 2022, by Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records.[1] The album features guest appearances from Don Toliver, Phoebe Bridgers, Travis Scott, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard.[2] SZA worked with a variety of record producers and songwriters such as Babyface, Jeff Bhasker, Rob Bisel, Benny Blanco, Darkchild, DJ Dahi, Ant Clemons, and Lizzo.[3] It serves as the follow-up to SZA's debut album Ctrl (2017).[4]

Six singles were released between 2020 and 2023 to promote SOS, five of which were top-ten hits on the US Billboard Hot 100. The fifth, "Kill Bill" (2023), was SZA's first song to top the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Global 200 charts; the sixth, "Snooze" (2023), was the only song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 for all of 2023. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200—SZA's first to do so—and broke the record for the largest streaming week for an R&B album in the US.[5] The album spent ten non-consecutive weeks atop the chart, making it the longest-running number-one female album of the decade at the time, and the first R&B album to spend its first seven weeks atop the chart since Whitney Houston's Whitney (1987).[6] To promote the album, SZA embarked on the international SOS Tour, from February 2023 to May 2024.

Upon release, SOS received widespread critical acclaim for its eclectic sound and SZA's vocal delivery. Several media publications ranked it as one of the best albums of 2022 and 2023. At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, the album and its tracks received a total of nine nominations, including Album of the Year, and won Best Progressive R&B Album. Additionally, the album has been featured on both Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2023) and Apple Music's 100 Best Albums.

  1. ^ Panaligan, EJ (November 16, 2022). "SZA Announces New Album 'S.O.S.' Slated for December Release". Variety. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  2. ^ Panaligan, E. J. (December 5, 2022). "SZA Reveals 'SOS' Track List, With Phoebe Bridgers, Travis Scott, Don Toliver and Ol' Dirty Bastard Features". Variety. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  3. ^ Guy, Zoe (December 9, 2022). "Everything SZA References on SOS (Including Herself)". Vulture. Archived from the original on December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  4. ^ Paul, Larisha (December 5, 2022). "SZA Taps Phoebe Bridgers, Travis Scott for S.O.S Album". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  5. ^ "SZA Scores First No. 1 Album With SOS". Pitchfork. December 19, 2022. Archived from the original on December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  6. ^ Smith, Danyel (February 8, 2023). "SZA's Ruination Brought Her Everything". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.