SZA has been honored with the Hal David Starlight Award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, celebrating young songwriters making a significant impact in the music industry.
On Thursday (June 13), the “Kill Bill” singer, 34, snagged the Hal David Starlight Award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame 2024 Induction and Awards Gala. The award, recognizing her stellar impact on the music industry through her original songwriting, proves once again that her pen game is as strong as her vocals!
“As an artist, I’ve been a lot of different people. I’ve been 200 pounds. I’ve been 130 pounds,” began SZA, briefly addressing a rollercoaster of emotions she’s braved on her rise to superstardom. “I’ve been someone who doesn’t dance at all onstage, someone that can only close their eyes and look down, someone that is dancing and trying their best.”
“I’ve just been all these things and I feel like, ‘Oh man, I struggle at the artist-thing.’ Like writing was where I felt like a person and that I had value and that I could show that I was smart, and it was beyond, ‘Am I pretty? Am I liked?’ And that basically meant everything to me,” she said.
“It made me feel like a person, that I was doing something worth something. So basically receiving this award validates my entire career.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter SZA later treated the audience to a stripped-down acoustic version of her acclaimed SOS single “Snooze.” Because why just accept an award when you can also steal the show?
With her new, coveted accolade, SZA joins a star-studded lineup of Hal David Starlight Award honorees — rubbing shoulders with the likes of Alicia Keys, John Mayer, John Legend, Lil Nas X, Ed Sheeran, Drake, and more. Talk about leveling up your squad!