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SZA Says Label Warned She Wouldn’t Beat Taylor Swift as ‘SOS’ Topped the Charts

In a new i-D cover story, she says the upset reshaped her outlook by proving far more was possible than she expected.

Overview

  • SZA recounts that Top Dawg Entertainment told her to prepare for not surpassing Taylor Swift, a warning she discusses in an i-D interview published March 6.
  • SOS debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in December 2022, held the top spot for 10 weeks, and returned for three more weeks in 2024 after the LANA deluxe release.
  • She reflects that the run made her feel that “anything is possible,” saying she never imagined such radio success.
  • During a January 2023 tracking week, she denied any feud after online fan speculation, and Swift later publicly praised SOS on Instagram.
  • Her momentum has continued with 13 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 for “Luther” with Kendrick Lamar, and she has said she would like to collaborate with Swift.