Whatโs wrong with this picture (above)? We see SZA, Megan Thee Stallion, and Normani, three brown-skinned, black leather-clad rising queens of the music industry in a photo evoking the height of Vibe magazineโs iconic coversโbut this time, for Rolling Stone (shot by Campbell Addy, notably the first black man and only second black person to shoot the cover, by his account). But apparently, singer-songwriter SZA (on the left), feels differently. On Wednesday, the musician tweeted a cryptic message many presumed to be in response to the trifecta cover (which she notably also didnโt promote on her social channels).
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Listen...weโve been there, as has everyone whoโs ever been included and tagged in a posted photo they never wouldโve approved, even if asked. Granted, Rolling Stone ainโt been beating down our door in recent memory, so weโre not sure weโd have been brave enough to risk offending one of the music industryโs biggest magazines (or the rising star that is Campbell Addy) just because our team presumably didnโt fight for photo approval. (Orโdun-dun-dunโhad SZA initially been promised a solo cover?) That said, while she may not have been thrilled with her cover shot, SZA is nevertheless still a big fan of her fellow cover stars, and weโre here for any and all sister-love.
But not everyone was here for SZAโs (presumed) response to her cover...after all, the trouble with a massive fanbase is they can turn on a dime and almost always feel entitled to an artistโs best moods and constant creative output.
Say what you will, but what weโre also not going to do is discredit SZAโs feelings...especially since sheโs one of a rising tide of artists who is transparent about the realities of anxiety, depression, and the attendant insecurities that inevitably ensue. And even in the midst of her own angst, she did so again on Wednesday, making it clear that the demons she battles arenโt social media trolls, but those of her own making...and man, oh man, do we relate.
If your thoughts donโt sometimes โhit different,โ God bless you and yours. But weโre not going to act like celebs arenโt humans (just like us!), or like SZA is doing anything new or novel. Sheโs part of a broadening conversation about mental healthโone that IG-happy celebs and influencers should be taking a part in normalizing and de-stigmatizing. Trust, itโs a good thing.
So, for those who think SZA should just โstick to singing,โ the truth is, she currently seems to, as well. But still, letโs never discount the necessity for transparency about mental health or advocacy for our own self-care. And all that aside, if we canโt talk about our discontent with even petty shit (like Rolling Stone covers), social media isnโt the equal opportunity data dump we all treat it as, no? (Because no one really cares about your 1,537th avocado toast or chicken and waffles with bottomless mimosas, anyway.)
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