SZA graced the cover of Wonderland’s 2020 summer issue. In the interview SZA discusses new music, working with Pharell Williams, and learning how to be alone in quarantine. The amazing photos were shot by Blair Caldwell! He is also known for photographing Jay-Z/Beyonce, Normani, Sam Smith, plus more!
I’ve added a few quotes that stuck out to me from the interview. You can find the full interview over at Wonderland! Click here!! What I love about this shoot is that it was all done at SZA’s home in Malibu during quarantine. She spoke to us about the shoot and was really excited to be working with Blair Caldwell. She also was excited to have full creative control and styling. All the clothing came directly from her closet! I love how she played around with the colors. The aesthetic of the whole shoot was fire!
I hope you all are getting through this quarantine! It’s been a hectic couple months so I’m sending you all love and light <3
Take a look down below for all the photos!
SZA on working on new music
“Deepak Chopra says that when you spend energy talking about something, you use the energy that you would have had to complete the project,” she explains. “I’m just trying to stop talking about it and, you know, do it.”
SZA on being in quarantine
“It’s definitely hard for me because I’m always with somebody and it’s crazy to not have the option to go out and do anything. But that’s when you have to get used to yourself. I realised I don’t enjoy spending time by myself, then I was like, ‘Do I not like myself?’ And I was like, ‘No b***h, you don’t like yourself for a host of reasons and you’re trying way too hard for people that are already your friends to like you because you don’t like yourself.’ So right now I’m learning how to spend time with myself… You can’t waste time pretending or trying too hard. Everyone who doesn’t like you wasn’t gonna like you anyway.”
SZA on being creative director/interviewing with Wonderland
“The only reason is because I get creative control over this whole spread and I get to take my own pictures for once in my life. I get to dress how I wanna dress and light myself how I wanna light myself. When you don’t get to decide how people see you, or what is even beauty to you, or anyone else… Through the lens of someone else it can just get real dangerous.”
SZA on working with Pharrell
Ty Dolla $ign randomly comes over and we’re making s**t, and then I play it for Pharrell and he’s just f**king with me the way I dreamed he would be f**king with me. He ended up extending the session for an extra three days and at the end I was just like, ‘You don’t know how much you mean to me in the realm of black, suburban, weird kids. You validated me in the world for thinking differently and dressing differently, and feeling differently, and that’s priceless.’ I’m damn about to cry right now just thinking about it.”
