SZA at BST Hyde Park

Headlining the first Saturday of BST’s three-weekend agenda was the glowing talent of SZA. Known for her genre-blending celestial sound, the alternative R&B singer has amassed over 70 million monthly listeners on Spotify and has recently been taking the industry by storm, also closing out this year’s Glastonbury as the Pyramid Stage headliner.

Watching the construction of SZA’s stage set left your eyes boggling – the artist seemed to be going for nature as a running theme, with stalagmites across the stage and stalactites hanging from the light fixtures to give the appearance of the inside of a cave. Branches and vines swept across the stage ceiling, and a ginormous tree stood to the side that appeared, at first sight, to be real. Later in the show, a giant ant appeared on which SZA sat and performed the slow ballad Drew Barrymore. It was certainly an impressive set, but a slightly confusing theme for those who are new to her music and trying to understand what the artist was going for.

To the crowd’s evident delight, SZA’s stage entrance was fantastically dramatic, with the artist elevated from under the stage to a spectacular height on a small platform. Her stage presence remained captivating throughout the night, with clear confidence hitting move after move of the striking dance choreography alongside her edgy dance army.

The performance was brought down, however, by a lack of interaction with the crowd. Aside from the occasional “How you doing?” shouted into the mic, the artist launched into the next track as soon as the last was done. With a set list of 28 songs, the performance would have benefitted from fewer songs and more audience engagement.

The artist teased her upcoming album Lana with the words “New album, you ready?” before sharing a fragment of an unreleased number. The following day, Storytime was announced as the title of the track. She also delivered big hits like Saturn, Snooze and Kill Bill, the latter of which was a chilling performance involving machete props adhering to the number’s dark lyrics.

Now part of BST’s alumni, SZA will certainly be put down as one of the festival’s memorable headliners, having left an impression that’s sure to last. With the upcoming release of her next album, it will be exciting to see what she will bring next with her new music.

Emily Downie
Photos: Virginie Viche (support)/Cass Meyers and Not Mr Blue (SZA)

For further information and future events visit SZA’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Kill Bill here: