SZA graces one of two limited edition covers of V Magazine's music issue, and she opened up about her childhood and newfound fame.
SZA says she was an “awkward” kid, and her family’s open love set her apart from her peers in excerpts obtained by Billboard.
“I’m super sensitive, and my mother made me extra sensitive because she’s just so unapologetically loving. I’ve realized some people don’t hug in their families, or say that they love each other all day,” the singer told actress Jada Pinkett Smith.
“My family tells me they love me all day; I’m hyper affectionate, laying it on other people, just because it’s what we do in my house. But in the world, that was weird, and it was really difficult to be super sensitive and hyper-open.”
The songstress says this revelation was “frightening” to her, and she initially thought her sensitivity was a bad thing but later realized her upbringing was ideal.
“I guess my mom represented something that made me feel weak. I felt like, this is why I’m hurt. When I got older, I realized, Oh shit, the whole world is wrong and my mom is right,” the “Broken Clocks” singer said.
That state of being influences how SZA makes her music and relates to her fans. She has recently started doing meet-and-greets and keep them intimate despite having to interact with large groups.
“In my music, it’s really hard to be super-conscious; I’m in another state of consciousness when I’m making music,” she said. “But when I’m my most effective, that mode of healing is when I get to perform and see everybody. I send out and absorb love. Meet-and-greets are a new thing I never got to do before. I meet, like, 200 people before each show. We hug each other and really look at each other. Healing and loving people, I guess that’s me.”
SZA isn’t just healing her fans. She takes care of herself by meditating when things get rough.
“Meditation is the easiest way to re-center and ground yourself,” she said. “Sometimes, I get really tired; I feel like I’m hitting a wall I’m about to break through. I just know I have to keep going because there’s about to be some sort of weird endurance experience after. I’d never been on tour before; I never did 40 or 50 cities. I just had to build calmness.”
The summer issue of V Magazine hits shelves May 3, and advance limited edition copies will be available on the Frenzy app.
This post was originally published on Blavity.