Latest news with #Ctrl
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Fans finally learn meaning behind SZA's name after an entire decade
SZA, whose real name is Solana Imani Rowe, has been in the music game for years, but fans have only just learned the true meaning of her name, as well as the way it's pronounced SZA is one of the most talked-about artists in the music industry at the moment. As well as playing at Glastonbury in 2024, she sent fans wild with an incredible performance at the Super Bowl half time show with Kendrick Lamar. The much anticipated performance was watched by millions of music and sport fans at home, while a number of celebrities had headed to the stadium in New Orleans. Jay Z, Taylor Swift and Ice Spice were all in attendance to see the pair pull off a spectacular show. And now, the British public can get in on the action. Kendrick and SZA are currently on a UK tour, which is about to come to both Cardiff and London. People have been so excited for the shows they've been brushing up on their music trivia. And one piece of knowledge that people are only just learning about is the origins of SZA's name – how to pronounce it and what the acronym actually stands for. The artist, whose real name is Solana Imani Rowe, launched her career in 2011, but it wasn't until the release of her Ctrl album in 2017 that she truly broke through. Many fans were oblivious to the correct pronunciation of her name, leading some to turn to Reddit to question if they were alone in their confusion. One asked: "Did anyone else initially assume that SZA's stage name was pronounced 'zah'?" Others also confessed they'd been left baffled by the stage name, as one responder wrote: "Yes haha I also thought it was Zah, my second guess was S-Z-A. Didn't realise until I was told that it was Sizzah. Not very intuitive, at least not to me." A second remarked: "I thought it was pronounced Ess Zee Ay, or Ess Zed Ay in Canada." And a third asked: "Doesn't S-followed by-Z make a 'sh' sound usually?" If you are struggling, it's pronounced scissor! And now you've got that pronunciation down, it's time to think about the meaning behind the acronym. SZA shared the significance of her moniker in previous interviews, revealing that each letter represents a unique concept from the Supreme Alphabet. She said: "Each letter stands for a different ideology. So, S, stands for self-sovereignty, like saviour of one's self. "Z stands for zig-zag, which is enlightenment of one's self, and then A stands for Allah, or a God, or whatever you consider the most high." Upcoming UK tour dates July 19, 2025 – Principality Stadium, Cardiff July 22, 2025 – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London European Tour Dates July 27, 2025 – Lisbon, Portugal – Estadio do Restelo July 30, 2025 – Barcelona, Spain – Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys August 02, 2025 – Rome, Italy – Stadio Olimpico August 06, 2025 – Warsaw, Poland – PGE Narodowy August 09, 2025 – Stockholm, Sweden – 3Arena
Time of India
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
The trailer of Batashey Gungun is out
Batashey Gungun explores the dark side of obsession, featuring Suhotra Mukhopadhyay, Srijla Guha, and Manali Manisha Dey. The story revolves around Pallabi's intense fixation on her professor, Arindam, who is already married. As Arindam grapples with Pallabi's growing influence, the series questions the destructive nature of misplaced love and its shattering consequences on everyone involved. The trailer of Batashey Gungun , directed by Arijeet Toton Chakrabarty and with creative direction by Aditi Roy is out. The project stars a freshly paired ensemble — Suhotra Mukhopadhyay, Srijla Guha, and Manali Manisha Dey — Batashey Gungun is a haunting tale of obsession, control, and the devastating consequences of misplaced love. At the heart of this twisted love story is Pallabi, played by Srijla Guha, a college student starved of affection and consumed by an obsessive desire for her professor, Arindam, played by Suhotra Mukhopadhyay. Though deeply in love with his wife Mithila, played by Manali Manisha Dey, Arindam finds himself emotionally entangled in Pallabi's dangerous fixation. The series also features Silajit Majumder, Durbar Sharma, Moyna Mukherjee, Joydeep Mukherjee and Suprobhat Das in pivotal roles, each adding tension and complexity to this emotionally volatile world. As tension rises in the trailer, Arindam begins to call Pallabi 'the nemesis of his life' and wishes to undo the past ten months—longing for a Ctrl + Z moment that might free him from what he's become. But will he surrender to Pallabi's growing power and fame—or is something even more shattering about to unfold? Batashey Gungun dares to ask: How far will someone go when love turns into obsession—and how far can love go before it breaks? The trailer is set to turn heads for its atmospheric intensity, layered performances, and the chilling emotional spiral it teases. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Switch to UnionBank Rewards Card UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Director Arijeet shares, 'This is a story about what happens when the need to be loved becomes destructive.' Suhotra adds, 'Arindam is haunted by a single choice—he's living in a loop of guilt.' Srijla notes, 'Pallabi doesn't just fall in love—she clings to it like a lifeline. For Pallabi, Arindam made her world feel bearable. When someone becomes your calm in the chaos, obsession doesn't feel wrong. It feels like survival.' And Manali reflects, 'Mithila was a very different character for me. She is modest but feels everything deeply—even what's never said out loud.'
Perth Now
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Doechii reveals the SZA album that gave her the 'courage' to split from her ex
Doechii says SZA's 'Ctrl' album gave her "the courage" to break up with an ex. The 'Anxiety' hitmaker has revealed the 'Kill Bill' singer "inspired" her to be "vulnerable" with her music in ways she doubts she could have, while her 2017 debut studio album enabled her to leave a relationship that was stifling her music career. Asked if a partner has ever negatively impacted her creativity, she told Cosmopolitan: 'I only felt that way once. I was 18, and I was dating a guy who just wasn't very supportive of my music, and it really stifled me. I stopped writing because he was just like, 'That's not cool'.' Doechii admitted: 'I took his opinion way too seriously when really he just didn't get it.' She went on: 'I remember listening to SZA's 'Ctrl' for the first time and it literally gave me the courage to break up with him. I only bring that up because she inspired me to be vulnerable through my music in a way that I didn't think I could be.' Doechii penned a breakup song about the ex and he told her "this sucks" when she let him hear it. She revealed: ''Girls' [2021], the first song I dropped that went viral, was 100 per cent about that ex. Doechii recounted: 'I had been working on it for a year and I played it for him, and he was like, 'This sucks. What are you even talking about?' And I was like, 'Oh yeah, I got to fix this'. And the girls loved it because they felt me.' Anyone Doechii calls out in her lyrics is already "blocked" so they can't react. She said: 'If I'm writing about you in the negative, you can't reach out – you're blocked.'
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Doechii Says Westside Gunn ‘Snapped' When He Sampled Her on His Latest EP ‘Heels Have Eyes'
Doechii is singing Westside Gunn's praises after the Griselda rapper sampled her on his latest EP Heels Have Eyes. On 'Egypt,' the fifth and final track from the project he released on Friday, Gunn samples a snippet of Doechii's Apple Music interview with Ebro Darden. 'One-hundred percent/ You know, recently I've been into a lot of MF DOOM (OK)/ Rest in peace (Yup)/ I've been into a lot of MF DOOM, um/ Westside Gunn (Mhm), love him, he's so talented (Super)/ So incredible,' she told Darden back in September, which starts off Gunn's song. The 'Denial Is a River' MC can also be heard on the outro of 'Egypt' when she says, 'I just feel like, I just feel like the underdog (Mmm)/ Feel like the underdog and I just feel like, 'Stop playin' with me.'' More from Billboard Doechii Explains How SZA's 'Ctrl' Pushed Her to Break Up With Her Ex-Boyfriend Kneecap End Coachella Set With Pro-Palestine Messages After Censorship Claims Snoop Dogg Drops 'Last Dance With Mary Jane' Video on 4/20 'Westside Gunn just sampled me so pretty much kiss the blackest part of my a– and choke on a side ways d*ck! He snapped omg,' she wrote Monday (April 21) on X. The Swamp Princess also posted an Instagram Story of her listening to the sample on 'Egypt' and hollering and vibing out to the track once the beat drops. And Gunn didn't stop showing Doechii love. 'So much RESPECT & LOVE for BEST RAP Grammy winner the beautiful inside and out @officialdoechii for ALWAYS showing love …. btw This is what the game is missing… the showing of appreciation!!!!' he posted on X. 'Everybody wanna be so tuff and not show NO LOVE anymore but guess what those are the ppl that's gonna continue to be in LAST PLACE.' Darden reshared the same clip from Doechii's IG Story on his Instagram and wrote, 'Yea @Doechii ….. @westsidegunn knows!!! New Fly God 'Egypt' out now!' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
This is what bisexual rapper Doechii says is her 'major contribution' to hip-hop
Doechii is getting candid about her creative journey, the artists who inspired her, and what it means to take up space in hip-hop as a queer Black woman. In a new interview with Cosmopolitan, the rapper and singer opened up about how her relationships, identity, and creative journey have shaped her artistry — and the responsibility she feels now that her voice is reaching so many others. "It's a position that I do not take lightly," she said of becoming a role model. "I say this to myself often in my journal entries, but I truly am becoming who I needed. I can only imagine all the little Black girls and boys out there that I represent something for." Although Doechii isn't new on the music scene, she's made serious headway in the past two years. In addition to getting multiple songs on the Billboard Top 100, she also took home a Grammy for Best Rap Album for Alligator Bites Never Heal. It's obvious that inspiring others is an important aspect of Doechii's artistry, and part of that may come from how music has influenced her own life. One anecdote she shared in the interview revolved around feeling creatively "stifled" at 18 because the man she was seeing wasn't supportive of the music she was writing. "I took his opinion way too seriously when really he just didn't get it. I remember listening to SZA's Ctrl for the first time and it literally gave me the courage to break up with him," she recalled. "I only bring that up because she inspired me to be vulnerable through my music in a way that I didn't think I could be." See on Instagram That vulnerability is a big part of what has allowed her to make such a connection with her fans — especially queer hip-hop fans who don't often get to see their own experiences reflected in mainstream music. "This is such a Leo thing to say," Doechii admitted, "but my literal existence as a queer Black woman is a major contribution to the hip-hop genre. I'm speaking truthfully from a queer Black woman's perspective, and being honest about my life through my lens is amazing. "That perspective is being highlighted, and we need queer perspectives." Check out the rest of Doechii's interview with Cosmopolitan here.
