SZA named Billboard 2023 Woman of the Year

SZA will be celebrated as Woman of the Year at the Billboard Women in Music Awards this March.

“Since she burst onto the scene in 2017, SZA has defied genres and continually released raw, powerful songs which have landed her music on the Billboard charts,” said Hanna Karp, Billboard’s editorial director.

“The release of her latest album, ‘SOS’ has solidified her as a distinct force in contemporary R&B, and catapulted her into superstardom. We can’t wait to honor her as Woman of the Year.”

Born in Missouri, SZA began her music career in 2011 specializing in the R&B genre. Only a few years into her career, SZA co-wrote ‘Feeling Myself’ with Beyonce and Nicki Minaj in 2014 and was featured in ‘Consideration’ by Rihanna in 2016.

SZA released her second album ‘SOS’ on Dec 9 where it instantly took the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200. ‘SOS’ garnered over 400 million streams in the U.S. alone in its first week, which allowed it to become the second-largest streaming week for a female artist and third-largest of 2022 among all albums.

She has since become a well-respected singer and songwriter winning several accolades including a Grammy, two MTV Video Music Awards, an American Music Award, two BET Awards and one Billboard Music Award.

SZA has also received several nominations including 13 other Grammy nominations, an Academy Award and Golden Globe.

“I was never really inspired to become a musician, but I was definitely inspired to create art,” SZA said in an interview. “I have a little bit of a voice and it’s grown a lot, but I was never really trying to sing – it just kind of fell into place.”

Former Woman of the Year winners include Olivia Rodrigo (2022), Cardi B (2020), Billie Eilish (2019), Ariana Grande (2018), Selena Gomez (2017), Madonna (2016), Lady Gaga (2015) and Taylor Swift (2014).

Women in music

The Billboard Women in Music Awards is a special annual event created to honor women in the music industry. Its most prestigious award is Woman of the Year.

According to the Billboard magazine, the award show recognizes “women in the music industry who have made significant contributions to the business and who, through their work and continued success, inspire generations of women to take on increasing responsibilities within the field.”

This year, the Billboard Women in Music Awards will air on March 1 and will be hosted by Quinta Brunson from ‘Abbott Elementary’.