SZA is set to bring her musical talents to Saturday Night Live next month.
The Top Dawg Entertainment songstress will be the musical guest for the December 3 episode, the long-running late-night sketch comedy show announced over the weekend.
Accompanying SZA will be actress/singer Keke Palmer, who has been tapped to host the season 48 episode.
next show! pic.twitter.com/kNsSG8j6h1
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) November 13, 2022
SZA’s upcoming performance will mark her second appearance on SNL. The New Jersey native made her debut on the show in December 2017, delivering stripped-down, gospel-inspired renditions of “Love Galore” and “The Weekend,” from her critically acclaimed debut album Ctrl.
Her return appearance comes as part of the promo run for her long-awaited sophomore LP, which is expected to arrive “any day” now. In October, SZA ramped up excitement by releasing a new single, “Shirt,” which was accompanied by a cinematic video co-starring Atlanta actor LaKeith Stanfield.
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Earlier this month, she signaled the album’s imminent release by telling fans the “clock starts now” while sharing a sexy video teaser for another new song seemingly titled “PSA.”
The as-yet-untitled project has been of the most coveted releases on the music calendar for a while already, yet has been plagued by delays amid apparent tension between SZA, her labels — RCA and TDE — and her manager, Terrence “Punch” Henderson.
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During an appearance on Math Hoffa’s My Expert Opinion in September, however, Punch pushed back against SZA’s suggestion that he is to blame for her album’s hold-up.
“You gotta understand the context, and you have to know the person,” he said. “You have to know how something was said. If it was light-hearted, if it was serious, like what it was. If she’s responding to somebody and saying, ‘You gotta ask Punch.’ You can take that a gang of different ways based on your disposition.”
He continued: “And you only get so many characters when you’re tweeting, and people get a whole story and run with it. What I always like to ask is: What do I gain from not putting the album out?”
SZA’s December 3 performance on SNL will continue a recent trend of Hip Hop and R&B stars gracing the 30 Rock stage. The show’s 48th season, which kicked off in early October, has seen performances from Kendrick Lamar, Megan Thee Stallion, Jack Harlow, Steve Lacy and Willow Smith.
Most recently, Black Star and Madlib delivered a medley of tracks from their comeback album, No Fear of Time, this past weekend, with their good friend and Midnight Miracle co-host Dave Chappelle serving as host.
