Currently, SZA is basking in the glory and success of her sophomore album ‘SOS’. The critics and music heads are all impressed with the new album, which has features including Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Travis Scott, Wu-Tang Clan’s Ol’ Dirty Bastard. In 2017, her debut album ‘Ctrl’ became one of the greatest albums of all time. She has been a writer for artists like Beyoncé and Rihanna.
‘SOS‘ came out on December 9th, 2022. There was a lot of buzz before the album release as she was bringing a studio album after five years of waiting. In 2022, it was Princess Diana‘s 25th death anniversary. In August 1997, she met with a brutal accident in Paris which killed her. It was one of the most tragic incidents related to the Royal Family. Now, SZA, through her new album, has paid tribute to one of the fashion icons and the pop culture cornerstone. What is the connection between the album and the Princess of Wales?
Related: Where Did Princess Diana Live After Divorcing Prince Charles?
SZA Got Inspiration From Princess Diana For ‘SOS’ Cover
Many things changed for Princess Diana in 1997. She parted ways with her lover Dr. Hasnat Khan, who was a surgeon, and one of her last lovers. That same year she met Mohammed Al Fayed, who took her with him to St. Tropez. She met his son Dodi Al Fayed, and they had an instant connection. The two went to Italy before the Paris trip, which turned out to be the last trip of the Princess.
While she was on the trip, the media did not leave her alone. In a picture, she is sitting on a diving board on Al Fayed’s Jonikal yacht. She was sitting all by herself and a seagull passed by her. It could be interpreted as the solitude she received in her last days after severe public scrutiny when she was a part of the Royal Family.
This poignant picture was the inspiration for SZA to create the album cover for ‘SOS’. In the cover, she is in the middle of the ocean, sitting on the edge of the diving board recreating the 1997 picture of Diana. In the picture, Diana was wearing a blue bathing suit, but on the cover, SZA wore a custom jersey with SZA written on the back and SOS on her sleeve.
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Twitter Hailed The Artist For The Album Cover Reference
In an interview with Hot 97, she talked about how she got inspired from the new album cover. She said, “Originally I was supposed to be on top of a shipping barge, but in the references that I pulled for that, I pulled the Diana reference. I just loved how isolated she felt and that’s what I wanted to convey the most”.
Twitter instantly caught the reference and appreciated the ‘Kill Bill’ artist for the album cover. One of the users wrote, “A spirit medium reportedly contacted Princess Diana and said that the late-Princess’ favorite album of the year is SOS by SZA”.
https://twitter.com/andreaonhbo/status/1601099906961506306?t=ICNox5RzVgotDqo5kWqsXA&s=08
SZA said, "I wanna be Princess Diana sad but with Timbs on." That's my bitch fr. https://t.co/m7hLZbYKRW
— Gabrielle 💬 (@gabalexa) December 7, 2022
https://twitter.com/mdaixo/status/1601030400734035968?t=kMNxXm9NvWajMcEsH8-qQQ&s=08
RIP Princess Diana.
You would've loved SZA & SOS— Sundress SZN Fan Acc. 🌼 (@CallMeMikeDeee) December 11, 2022
this SZA album cover is exactly how I view myself, idk how else to describe it
it’s just so good… and the Princess diana reference
it’s just perfect— 👻 (@0_Saduwu_0) December 9, 2022
SZA’s career is certainly on the rise with her winning Grammy in 2024, with many hit songs and a large fanbase.
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