On Thursday (Sept. 26), SZA became the latest guest on the wildly popular interview series “Hot Ones,” which sees celebrities answering questions while struggling through a progressively spicy flight of hot wings. The singer immediately set herself apart from previous visitors by dressing up as a humanoid insect – a decision that she didn't bother to explain.
During the sit-down, SZA spoke on various topics, including doing handstands with Simone Biles, whether she prefers a private life, and the impact of her debut studio LP, Ctrl. “I think people forget [that] people weren’t really f**king with it so crazy when it first dropped. That was like a slow ascension,” she said about the album, which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and earned triple-platinum status. “If anything, I’m just more surprised [at] how all of it played out... The word ‘classic’ is slightly adjacent to something that I created, and that’s so crazy and I definitely didn’t see that coming.”
When asked about which songs make her the most emotional when performing, she brought up the SOS standout “Nobody Gets Me,” which took listeners through the final stages of her past relationship. “My ex-fiancé hates me so much and it’s so unfortunate, and every time I sing it, it’s just like, ‘D**n, what the f**k?’” she admitted. SZA also named “Drew Barrymore,” “Normal Girl,” and “Broken Clocks.”
Another fun fact came when host Sean Evans asked her how she scored an Ol' Dirty Bastard verse for the SOS closer “Forgiveless.” “I expected them to tell me, ‘No,’ actually, so all I could do was beg, profess my love, and then chill... I didn’t expect it at all,” she explained. “They blessed me so crazy. It actually came from video footage from a documentary thing that Rodney Jerkins had. ODB is just freestyling... in the studio, and I’m like, ‘Wow, this sounds crazy.’ I thank ODB from beyond for his graciousness.”
Check out the full “Hot Ones” interview below.