Grammy-nominated inger/songwriter SZA’s “The Weekend” was one of the most buzzed about singles from her CTRL album, widely discussed because it tackled the topic of several women sharing one man, a set up that’s commonly boasted about by males singers and rappers, but less often by females singers and certainly almost never as something other than a cause of great misery.
Given the complex dynamic of the song, social media reacted with hostility to the Solange Knowles directed video of the single, which featured SZA shot against minimalist backdrops. Critics piled on, complaining Knowles made the video about her signature artsy aesthetic rather than the song’s content.
The criticism wasn’t lost on SZA, who didn’t share the negativity and rather saw the video as a blending of their two personalities. “This is the way she sees me and it’s beautiful,” SZA told Fader in a cover story.
SZA also pushed back on the idea that the video was further confirmation she’s become a different artist since signing with TDE and releasing CTRL, one who is playing into the fame game by losing a noticeable amount of weight and creating songs with more accessible lyrics, like “The Weekend.”
“I was upset at first, cause I was like, ‘Ugh this is my character. How can people think this about me?'” she explained. “I cared so little about that song, I made that song in two seconds. That was like a throwaway, and then it was like, ‘What about that ‘Weekend’ thing?’”
In an addition to the interview, SZA was shot by Cara Stricker and styled by Shibon Kenney for a cover and editorial that included six different looks.
Designers featured in the shoot include The Blonds, Maryam Nassier Zadeh, Altuzarra, Laurence & Chico, Eres, Kenzo, Neith Nyer, DSquared2, Alumnae, Molly Goddard, Off-White, Lou de Betoly and Marc Jacobs.
Check out some images from the editorial below and find more on Fader.
