Drew Barrymore By SZA

By Hudson Longaker

Photo Credit - SZA CTRL Tour, The Come Up Show from Canada. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

I chose to write about the song, Drew Barrymore by SZA. after finding the song written about in an article by the New York Times called “25 Songs That Tell Us Where Music Is Going”. The cover of the article shows a picture of SZA, with a caption saying “how to turn self doubt into a superpower.” In a time of feminism and self confidence, she has used her insecurities to create a powerful message.

Solána Imani Rowe, known professionally by SZA, was born in St Louis, Missouri, in 1990, later relocating to Maplewood, New Jersey. She is an American R&B singer-songwriter, signed to the record labels, Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records. She’s inspired by teen romances, ’90s Drew Barrymore films. In Ctrl, you can hear SZA pulling in these influences, just like in her song, Drew Barrymore.

In the song she talks about how she's “so ashamed of myself [she] needs therapy” and “i'm sorry i'm not more attractive, i'm sorry i'm not more ladylike, i'm sorry i don't shave my legs at night” is trying to go against the way women are “supposed to be” in American society, and are expected to be something they are not. With the new societal progress, SZA is able to express herself and things she has always lacked confidence with. Being a relatable artist, after four years of hard work, SZA's debut album, Ctrl, brought her worldwide attention.