SZA long-awaited Ctrl album, released on June 9, is a deeply personal collection of songs, and, as the TDE artist told Billboard, it wasn't always easy to get vulnerable. During a recent interview, SZA remembered a mushroom trip that she said broke through her writer's block.
"I heard everything singing to me, from the grass and flowers to the little leaves,” she told Billboard. “I was tripped out, crying. It removed that fear barrier. The next day, I felt free — I couldn't fail.” Before that experience, SZA said she "grew resentful of music,” explaining that anxiety made her “afraid of the studio.”
SZA's album, which features contributions from Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, James Fauntelroy, and more, is expected to debut in the top five on the Billboard 200 albums chart.