American singer SZA performing during her CTRL the Tour in Toronto on August 23, 2017. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons @The Come Up Show
SZA is another massive 2017 breakout artist. Her debut album, Ctrl, was a huge critical smash, and also widely considered one of the ‘coolest’ records of 2017. While she never had a big hit on the Billboard Hot 100, SZA drew massive streaming numbers on both Spotify and YouTube, and her list of collaborators are a who’s-who of A-List talent: so far, she’s worked with everyone from superstars like Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar to up-and-coming acts such as Post Malone and Khalid. In addition to heaps of praise from music publications, SZA earned an impressive five Grammy nominations for Ctrl, including Best Urban Contemporary Album, Best R&B Performance, and Best New Artist. Impressed by how mature and confident her debut record was, NME wrote that she “isn't a star in the making, [but] a fully-fledged talent who's practically showing off."
