SZA

Solo Artist

Active 2011-present
Albums 3
Tracks 47
Most frequent collaborator Carter Lang · 21 tracks
Genres R&BAlternative R&BPopHip Hop
Complete Artist
100%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 47 of 47 tracks

Did SZA write her own songs?

Yes. SZA holds a writing credit on 100% of her tracks, and she is known for deeply personal, confessional lyrics. She writes them herself, though she builds the music with a tight circle of producer-writers, above all Carter Lang and ThankGod4Cody. A few of her tracks she wrote entirely alone, like 'Babylon.'

By the Numbers

3
Studio Albums
47
Tracks Credited
100%
Self-Written
15
Years Active
114
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 47 / 47 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 47 tracks: how many SZA wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

SZA has a writing credit100%
19%
81%
Sole author9tracks19%
Co-written38tracks81%
Outside writers0tracks0%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
SZA's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 47 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)100%
Composer (music)100%
Producer0%
Performer100%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

SZA's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 100%
100%
100%
100%
2014Z
2017Ctrl
2022SOS
Early · 100% written
Late · 100% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

100%
2010s
Z, Ctrl
100%
2020s
SOS

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where SZA sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

SZA
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Love Galore
Ctrl
Written by SZA, Travis Scott, Cody Fayne, Carter Lang, Tyran Donaldson, Terrence Henderson, Solána Rowe
Co-wrote
The Weekend
Ctrl
Written by SZA, Cody Fayne, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, Nathaniel Hills, Solána Rowe
Co-wrote
Broken Clocks
Ctrl
Written by SZA, Cody Fayne, Frank Dukes, Thomas Paxton-Beesley, Ashton Simmonds, Solána Rowe
Co-wrote
Kill Bill
SOS
Written by SZA, Rob Bisel, Carter Lang, Solána Rowe
Co-wrote
Snooze
SOS
Written by SZA, Kenneth Edmonds, Khristopher Riddick-Tynes, Leon Thomas III, Blair Ferguson, Solána Rowe
Co-wrote
Good Days
SOS
Written by SZA, Jacob Collier, Carter Lang, Carlos Muñoz, Christopher Ruelas, Solána Rowe
Co-wrote

Discography 3 albums

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

SZA47 tracks
CL21Carter Lang, 21 tracks 19Rob Bisel, 19 tracks TD12Tyran Donaldson, 12 tracks S11Scum, 11 tracks CF11Cody Fayne, 11 tracks T11ThankGod4Cody, 11 tracks EH4Emile Haynie, 4 tracks TH4Terrence Henderson, 4 tracks MM2Mac Miller, 2 tracks S2SoulCtrl, 2 tracks IR2Isaiah Rashad, 2 tracks DD2DJ Dahi, 2 tracks KL2Kendrick Lamar, 2 tracks TS2Travis Scott, 2 tracks FD2Frank Dukes, 2 tracks JG2Jahlil Gunter, 2 tracks JV2Jay Versace, 2 tracks TH2Teo Halm, 2 tracks MU2Michael Uzowuru, 2 tracks BL2Benjamin Levin, 2 tracks BB2Benny Blanco, 2 tracks CM2Carlos Muñoz, 2 tracks LH2Los Hendrix, 2 tracks RJ2Rodney Jerkins, 2 tracks D2Darkchild, 2 tracks X1XXYYXX, 1 track DO1DAE ONE, 1 track CT1Chance the Rapper, 1 track FS1Felix Snow, 1 track TY1Toro y Moi, 1 track MG1Marvin Gaye, 1 track GL1Greg Landfair Jr., 1 track CO1Cam O'bi, 1 track R1Redman, 1 track JB1John Bowman, 1 track DS1Dana Stinson, 1 track BR1Busta Rhymes, 1 track JD1J Dilla, 1 track MS1Macie Stewart, 1 track JT1Justin Timberlake, 1 track T1Timbaland, 1 track NH1Nathaniel Hills, 1 track DT1Daniel Tannenbaum, 1 track CB1Craig Balmoris, 1 track B1Békon, 1 track TD1The Donuts, 1 track TP1Thomas Paxton-Beesley, 1 track AS1Ashton Simmonds, 1 track DS1Donna Summer, 1 track GM1Giorgio Moroder, 1 track PB1Pete Bellotte, 1 track PW1Peter Wilkins, 1 track JF1James Fauntleroy, 1 track LP1Lukasz Plas, 1 track P1Prophit, 1 track JL1Josef Leimberg, 1 track GH1Gabriel Hardeman, 1 track J1Jozzy, 1 track AB1Alessandro Buccellati, 1 track JP1Joseph Pincus, 1 track RJ1Rashad Johnson, 1 track AA1Aire Atlantica, 1 track JR1Jakob Rabitsch, 1 track TG1Tyrone Griffin Jr., 1 track AC1Anthony Clemons Jr., 1 track PW1Pharrell Williams, 1 track CH1Chad Hugo, 1 track JD1Jazzaé De Waal, 1 track Y1Yakob, 1 track WM1Will Miller, 1 track MW1Margaux Whitney, 1 track Y1Yuli, 1 track DT1Don Toliver, 1 track JH1John Hill, 1 track DM1Danny McKinnon, 1 track JK1John Key, 1 track ER1Ely Rise, 1 track KE1Kenneth Edmonds, 1 track KR1Khristopher Riddick-Tynes, 1 track LT1Leon Thomas III, 1 track BF1Blair Ferguson, 1 track B1Babyface, 1 track TR1The Rascals, 1 track B1BLK, 1 track JB1Jeff Bhasker, 1 track CS1Clarence Scarborough, 1 track RT1Raina Taylor, 1 track PB1Phoebe Bridgers, 1 track MC1Matt Cohn, 1 track MV1Marshall Vore, 1 track EG1Ethan Gruska, 1 track TB1Tony Berg, 1 track MJ1Melissa Jefferson, 1 track JS1Johan Schuster, 1 track BS1Blake Slatkin, 1 track OF1Omer Fedi, 1 track S1Shellback, 1 track SG1Sven Gamsky, 1 track SW1Samuel Witte, 1 track SW1Still Woozy, 1 track ED1Eliot Dubock, 1 track BB1Beat Butcha, 1 track RG1Robert Gueringer, 1 track FR1Freaky Rob, 1 track DF1Douglas Ford, 1 track DP1Dylan Patrice, 1 track SD1Sir Dylan, 1 track JC1Jacob Collier, 1 track CR1Christopher Ruelas, 1 track N1Nascent, 1 track OD1Ol' Dirty Bastard, 1 track on Wu-Tang Clan's page GS1Guy Sigsworth, 1 track B1Björk, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. CL Carter Lang · TD Tyran Donaldson · S Scum · CF Cody Fayne · T ThankGod4Cody

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

SZA receives a writing credit on every track across her entire catalog, from the Z EP (2014) through SOS (2022). Her primary long-term collaborators are producers Rob Bisel and Carter Lang, both of whom appear on over half of SOS's tracks as both co-writers and co-producers. ThankGod4Cody (Cody Fayne) is a recurring presence across both Ctrl and SOS as both writer and producer. SZA's lyricist score approaches near-100%; her composer score is fractionally lower due to sample-inclusive tracks where additional historical composers receive credit: Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder on Ctrl's "Anything," Björk on SOS's "Forgiveless," and Marvin Gaye on the Z EP's "Sweet November."

Quick Facts

  • GrammysHas won seven Grammy Awards, including Best R&B Song for 'Snooze'
  • SOSHer 2022 album spent over ten weeks at number one on the Billboard 200
  • Kill BillA number-one hit and one of the best-selling singles of 2023
  • TDEThe first woman signed to the label Top Dawg Entertainment, in 2013
  • Confessional writingKnown for deeply personal, confessional lyrics she writes herself

Creative Fingerprint

A confessional writer, always collaborating: SZA is credited on 100% of her tracks, writing her own vulnerable lyrics but building the music with a tight circle of producer-writers, above all Carter Lang and ThankGod4Cody.

The Story

SZA (born Solána Imani Rowe, November 8, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter from St. Louis, Missouri, raised in Maplewood, New Jersey. She became the first woman signed to Top Dawg Entertainment, releasing a series of EPs, including the well-received Z (2014), before her debut studio album Ctrl (2017) established her as a defining voice in contemporary R&B. Her songwriting is deeply personal and confessional, drawing on vulnerability, relationships, and self-image. Her second studio album SOS (2022) was a commercial breakthrough, spending a record 10 consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 (the longest run by any album since 1993) and making SZA the first woman to spend 100 weeks in the Billboard 200 top-ten. She writes or co-writes virtually all of her original material.

Awards & Recognition

Has won seven Grammy Awards, including Best R&B Song for 'Snooze'
SOS (2022) spent over ten weeks at number one on the Billboard 200, one of the longest runs by a woman
'Kill Bill' reached number one and was one of the best-selling singles of 2023
The first woman signed to Top Dawg Entertainment, in 2013
One of the most acclaimed and influential R&B artists of her generation

Frequently Asked Questions SZA

Did SZA write her own songs?
Yes. SZA holds a writing credit on 100% of her tracks, and she is known for deeply personal, confessional lyrics. She writes them herself, though she builds the music with a tight circle of producer-writers, above all Carter Lang and ThankGod4Cody. A few of her tracks she wrote entirely alone, like 'Babylon.'
Who wrote 'Kill Bill'?
'Kill Bill' (2022) was co-written by SZA with her producers Rob Bisel and Carter Lang. It became her first number-one single and one of the best-selling songs of 2023.
Who wrote 'Snooze'?
'Snooze' (2022) was co-written by SZA with Babyface, Leon Thomas, and others. It won the Grammy for Best R&B Song and became one of the longest-charting hits from SOS.
Who does SZA write with?
Her closest collaborators are the producers Carter Lang, Rob Bisel, and ThankGod4Cody (Cody Fayne), who co-write and co-produce most of her music, especially on Ctrl and SOS.
Was SZA the first woman signed to TDE?
Yes. She joined Top Dawg Entertainment in 2013, becoming the label's first female artist, alongside rappers like Kendrick Lamar.
How many albums has SZA released?
This catalogue covers her main releases: the Z EP (2014) and her studio albums Ctrl (2017) and SOS (2022).
How many Grammys has SZA won?
Seven Grammy Awards, and she has been one of the most-nominated artists of recent years.
What is SZA's biggest album?
SOS (2022) is her biggest, spending over ten weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 and producing hits like 'Kill Bill' and 'Snooze.'
Did SZA write her own lyrics?
Yes. Her lyrics are her own, drawn from her personal life, which is central to her appeal. Her collaborators are mainly the producers who shape the music around her writing.
What genre is SZA?
She is an R&B artist, often called alternative R&B, blending soul and hip-hop with indie and pop textures and a loose, conversational vocal style.

Sources