SZA – CTRL

Ctrl (pronounced “control”) is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter SZA. It was released on June 9, 2017, on Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records. It features guest appearances from Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, James Fauntleroy, and Isaiah Rashad. Originally scheduled for release in late 2015, it was delayed by SZA’s experience of “a kind of blinding paralysis brought on by anxiety.” She reworked the album until her record company took away her hard drive in the spring of 2017.

SZA wrote most of the album’s lyrics and collaborated with producers including Craig Balmoris, Frank Dukes, Carter Lang, Scum and ThankGod4Cody to achieve its sound. The efforts resulted in a primarily neo-soul and R&B album, with elements of hip-hop, electronic, pop, indie and soul. Lyrically, the album has a confessional theme, which touch upon SZA’s personal experiences and complexities of modern love; including desire, competition, jealousy, sexual politics, social media, and low self-esteem.

Ctrl was supported by five singles: “Drew Barrymore”, “Love Galore”, “The Weekend”, “Broken Clocks”, and “Garden (Say It Like Dat)”, all of which are certified Platinum or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Upon release, it received widespread critical acclaim from music critics, many of whom praised its cohesiveness and production, as well as SZA’s vocal delivery. The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200, moving 60,000 equivalent-album units in its first week. The album and its songs were nominated for four Grammy Awards, while SZA was nominated for Best New Artist. It was also included in several year-end best music lists by publications. In 2020, the album was ranked at 472 on Rolling Stone‘s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.