Source: Daniel Webster / Courtesy TDE / RCA Records
Top Dawg Entertainment’s Grammy award-winning recording artist SZA debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with the release of her major label sophomore album SOS (TDE/RCA). RIAA-certified Gold upon release, SOS marks SZA’s first-ever No. 1 album debut on the Billboard 200, Top R&B Albums, Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums and Artist 100 charts this week. Globally, SOS debuts in the top 5 in Canada (No. 1), Netherlands (No. 1), New Zealand (No. 1), Australia (No. 2), UK (No.2), Ireland (No. 2), Norway (No. 3), Denmark (No. 3), Sweden (No. 4), and Switzerland (No. 4).
Instantly and universally met with acclaim, the long-awaited SOS has been streamed over 400 million times in the US since its release on December 9, resulting in the second-largest streaming week for a female artist, third largest among all albums in 2022. Several tracks dominated song charts and playlists across digital service providers, with standout tracks “Kill Bill” and “Nobody Gets Me” landing at No. 3 and No. 10 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100 chart (21 songs in total on the chart), and No. 5 and No. 12 on the Billboard Global 200 chart (22 songs in total on the chart), respectively. “Kill Bill” is SZA’s first No. 1 Global hit on the Spotify and Apple Music charts and peaked at No. 2 on the YouTube Trending Music chart.
Simultaneously, “Shirt” is currently the No. 3 Greatest Gainer at radio, approaching top 10 on both the Rhythm and Urban Mainstream charts. The official video for “Nobody Gets Me” peaked at #4 on the YouTube Trending chart with nearly 4 million views to date. SZA was the first artist ever to be a part of the YouTube Previews Campaign that provides 15-30 second song clips used to build early momentum on Shorts before a song releases.
Commending the album’s brilliant blend of musical genres, Variety describes SOS as “…cinematic in its scope and tone as it ripples with elements of folk, jazz, pop and ambient electronica and brings in undertones of even surf, trap, grunge and AOR rock…” Consequence of Sound states, “Like Ctrl, what’s incredible about SOS is the pure range of genre and musical palette. The tracks range from pure R&B and ’90s pop to pop-punk and soft rock. There is no obvious musical style that spans the record; the theme lies in her vocal prowess, the daringness of her vision, and her lyrical frankness in that she feels too much, all the time.”
In addition to the release of SOS, SZA partnered with Sony for their LinkBuds S earbuds + 360 Reality Audio and Postmates’ holiday campaign “Better Than Santa,” which gave back to individuals nationwide.
To cap off SZA’s recent successes, every date of her first-ever arena tour sold out instantly. “The SOS North American Tour” kicks off on February 21 at Schottenstein Center in Columbus, OH making stops across North America in Chicago, Toronto, New York, Atlanta, Seattle, Vancouver, and more before wrapping up in Los Angeles, CA, at the Kia Forum on March 22. For more information about the tour, visit szasos.com.
Congrats to SZA on notching her first number-one album!
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SZA Gets Her First Number With ‘SOS’ was originally published on globalgrind.com
