SZA’s sophomore album has reached rare air in its historical run in the top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 200 charts.
SZA, the artist born Solána Rowe, released her sophomore album, “SOS,” on Dec. 9, 2022, but you wouldn’t know that it was released over two years ago based on its run near the top of the Billboard Hot 200 albums chart. At this point, SZA’s album has been in the top 10 for 80 weeks, passing Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album, which stayed in the top 10 for 79 weeks. Her album is currently number four on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
Yes, that “Thriller”—one of the biggest-selling albums in the history of recorded music and one of the most critically lauded albums of all time. SZA’s accomplishment is quite the accolade for an album that already has plenty of others, having won multiple Grammy Awards, a BET Award, and Billboard Music Awards. But most importantly, it is an album that has won the hearts and minds of those who have listened to it.
And that’s not all. SZA is also featured on the current number one song in the country, “Luther” by Kendrick Lamar, from his most recent album, “GNX,” the current number two album in the country.
You might be asking yourself, if SZA’s album is the number two album on a list where her 80-week streak just passed Michael Jackson—yes, that Michael Jackson—for easily one of the most well-known, highest-selling albums ever, then what could possibly be the record and for what album? The answer might surprise you. The longest charting album in Billboard’s Hot 200 album chart is the original cast recording for the Broadway musical, “My Fair Lady,” released in 1956 and stayed in the top 10 for a whopping 173 weeks from 1956 through 1960.
Egads!
SZA, as you can imagine, was shook by the accomplishment. In a video from TMZ, when asked how she felt tying Michael Jackson’s record last week, she said she “had no words.” Understandable.
We’ll have to wait and see whether “SOS” has the legs to break the record set by “My Fair Lady”—173 weeks is A LOT of weeks—but SZA isn’t resting on her accomplishments. The deluxe album for “SOS,” titled “LANA” (which is essentially a whole new album that also features all of the songs from “SOS”), is out now and being enjoyed by the masses. SZA is also gearing up to go on tour with her “Luther” partner and former TDE label-mate, Kendrick Lamar, on the “GNX” tour, set to kick off on April 19 in Minneapolis and traveling through the United States, Canada, and Europe through August.
Kudos to SZA!
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