Every year, TIME releases its TIME100Next list that highlights 100 rising stars across various industries worldwide. This year, R&B songstress SZA flaunted her “Supermodel” skills as the 32-year-old Missouri native revealed on Wednesday (Sept. 28) that she is on the cover for Time100Next.
“This is actually kinda nuts,” she wrote on Twitter. “New era loading…thank you #TIME100NEXT.”
While SZA thanked TIME, the “Broken Clocks” singer also showed gratitude to fellow singer and superstar Lizzo. “Thank you most of all, @lizzo,” SZA added to her Twitter post.
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Lizzo, who has also graced the cover of TIME as “Entertainer of the Year” for its 2019 issue, penned a heartfelt note to SZA for her extraordinary feat.
“SZA and I first met years ago in Minneapolis. I was a fan of her music, so when she came to town, my friends and I went to her show. We ended up taking a selfie together in the bathroom. I still send her that selfie from time to time because we had just met and didn’t know that we would have this long relationship,” Lizzo wrote.
“A year later, I booked a tour, and she was the headliner. Throughout the experience, she was just so kind and so cool. After that, I literally watched her blow up. When she dropped CTRL, her debut studio album, it was a cultural f—ing reset. She changed the world! The authenticity in her craft—the way she’s able to tell her story and the way she uses melody—is extraordinary,” she continued.
“No one can replicate that. When she’s onstage, she’s timeless. She’s someone who’s the real deal, and I think that she’s well on her way to being regarded as one of the greatest songwriters and singers of all time. All she needs is that pen and that voice and her story, and she’s going to be with us for a long time,” Lizzo concluded. Read it here.