Kendrick Lamar is the headliner for the Super Bowl 59 halftime show, but as always, guest appearances are possible. One was confirmed well ahead of the game.
Singer-songwriter SZA is joining Lamar on stage at the Superdome in New Orleans, making her first Super Bowl halftime show appearance.
Some previous halftime show guests have gone on to receive their own performance, including Usher and Lamar. SZA is a familiar face for many music fans, but she’s introducing herself to a brand new set of listeners with Sunday’s appearance.
Here’s what you need to know about SZA and some of her top songs.
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Who is SZA?
SZA is a singer-songwriter perhaps best known for her 2022 hit “Kill Bill”.
Active in the music industry for 15 years, SZA rapidly gained popularity in the early 2020s and is making her Super Bowl halftime debut in New Orleans.
SZA has won four Grammy Awards, four VMAs and eight Billboard Music Awards, earning a whopping 26 Grammy nominations and 31 Billboard Music Award nominations.
SZA has released two albums and three extended plays in her career, releasing 48 singles along the way. She released her first EP in 2012 and put out her first album, “Ctrl”, in 2017.
SZA is also taking up acting, as she starred alongside Keke Palmer in a recently released comedy film “One of Them Days”.
Between her first film role, a recent reissue of her “SOS” album and now an appearance in front of a colossal TV audience during the Super Bowl, SZA is in the middle of one of the busiest stretches of her career.
MORE: Complete details on Super Bowl 59 halftime show
What is SZA’s real name?
SZA’s birth name is Solana Imani Rowe.
SZA’s stage name is derived from the Supreme Alphabet, which is used by Black nationalist movement Five Percent Nation. Her name was influenced by rapper RZA and is pronounced “Siz-uh.”
Where is SZA from?
SZA was born in St. Louis but raised in Maplewood, New Jersey.
Despite growing up in New Jersey, SZA paid tribute to her mother’s St. Louis roots when she wore a Blues jersey on the cover of her “SOS” album in 2022. She also wore a Blues jersey in a 2024 music video.
SZA top songs
11 songs by SZA or featuring her have reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including a pair of No. 1 hits.
“Kill Bill” reached No. 1 on the chart in 2023, while she was featured on another No. 1 hit, “Slime You Out”, with Drake later the same year. “Snooze” spent the longest time on the Billboard Hot 100 chart of any SZA song, ranking for 70 weeks.
Despite collaborating with Drake less than two years ago, SZA will share the stage with his rival in what should be an entertaining halftime show.