SZA Rowe Biography

Solána Imani Rowe, known professionally as SZA, was born in St. Louis, Missouri, but grew up in Maplewood, New Jersey. Her mother is Christian, and her father is Muslim.

Growing up, Solána attended a Muslim prep school every day after her regular schooling, where she wore a hijab. Following the attacks on September 11, Solána became the victim of bullying and was scared to wear the hijab.

As she got older and graduated high school in 2008, Solána went to three separate colleges before finally settling on Delaware State University to study marine biology. She eventually dropped out to pursue her music career.

In 2012, Solána released her debut EP See.SZA.Run. Much of her early music was recorded with her friends and neighbors, in which they used music from the Internet.

After her EPs started to generate buzz for her, she was eventually signed by Top Dawg Entertainment in 2013, becoming the label’s first female artist. She eventually left TDE and signed a contract with RCA Records in April 2017.

Solána's career has been met with critical and commercial success. In 2017, her debut studio album Ctrl earned four Grammy nominations and became the second longest-charting R&B album by a female artist on the Billboard 200.

The following year, she entered the world of film by collaborating with Kendrick Lamar on the song "All of the Stars," which was a part of the soundtrack of Black Panther (2018). The song would earn Solána an Oscar nomination for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song) and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song – Motion Picture.

In 2025 Solána made her acting debut in One of Them Days (2025), starring opposite Keke Palmer. Despite her self-confessed fears of trying something new, Solána received praise from her co-star Keke and film producer Issa Rae.

Filmography:

One of Them Days (2025)