By Raina Burusnukul
Page Editor
On Dec. 20, 2024, SZA released the deluxe version of her 2022 album, “SOS.” Titled “LANA,” the album features 15 unreleased tracks recorded during the creation of “SOS”.
Throughout LANA, SZA delves into her healing era, adopting a different perspective on love and herself throughout. Featuring the twenty-five original tracks of “SOS,” the album’s added tracks possess a warm and upbeat quality, straying from the often hollow and cold tone color of its predecessor. The deluxe album’s additions allow listeners to follow the singer-songwriter through her emotional highs and lows as she flourishes into a more secure, unapologetic and radiant version of herself.
Among the many topics discussed throughout “LANA” and “SOS,” the most prominent among them centers around her struggles with self-doubt and self-assuredness, resulting from her experiences with toxic relationships and noncommittal men.
In the album’s opening track “No More Hiding,” she begins by proclaiming her frustration with hiding in her skin, choosing instead to feel the sun on her skin. She opts to face the truth, embracing vulnerability in her pursuit of genuine love. She wants to know what’s underneath the mask and who she is at her core, as “ugly” as it may seem. She reflects on her past with a newfound clarity: “Mask off, I get more oversized down talkin’ face off. Cut myself open to see what I’m made of I guess I’m guilty of giving out fake love I’m so fake, f**k. Don’t gotta say
it ‘cause I already know… Gotta break it if you want it to grow.” She relinquishes her insecurities, tending to old wounds and regrets as she blossoms into a better version of herself.
Straying away from the theme of introspection, SZA embraces and embodies a sense of unbridled confidence and self-assuredness in “30 for 30,” her eighth collaboration with rapper and friend, Kendrick Lamar. Throughout the track, the two discuss their distaste for fake energy and fake people, choosing to protect their peace and asserting their self-respect.
“Only want your love if it’s solid, but if it’s f**k me then f**k you. That’s the way I like it… Ain’t crackin’ a smile for none of these b*****s. That’s the way I like it.” In this verse, she demands authenticity from anyone she gives her time, love and energy to, unwilling to bend her self-respect to appease others, prioritizing herself and personal growth above all else.
In “Crybaby,” SZA further delves into the introspective aspect of her healing journey, confronting her reputation for being overly sensitive and insecure at times; like a “crybaby.” However, instead of trying to escape it, she embraces it by the song’s end. She acknowledges her tendency to be self-destructive and instead of denying her “weaknesses,” she recognizes her tendency to give in to her emotions and owns them, viewing her deeper capacity to feel as a strength.
In the verse, “Baby, it’s your world, oh maybe you should stop focusing all of that negative blocking the positive,” she calls out those who label her a “crybaby” as emotionally out of tune and cynical. By embracing the “worst” parts of herself, she can work and better herself without malice, allowing her to reach a point of genuine self-acceptance and love.
Throughout the album, SZA looks within, unpacking and embracing every facet of herself. LANA emphasizes her goal of complete authenticity and acceptance, as she sheds the expectations she places on herself and on those who fail to give her the love and respect she deserves to change. By the final track’s end, she accepts vulnerability with open arms, having truly flourished into the best version of herself.
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