Grammy Award-winning singer SZA hosted a surprise pop-up live concert at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on Friday, in honor of her album "SOS" and the forthcoming deluxe edition called "Lana," which will feature previously unreleased music.
The event, which took place at Dock 72, was publicized 24 hours ahead of time on SZA's Instagram, and fans snapped up all 200 free tickets.
Though "Lana" is the deluxe edition of her critically acclaimed 2022 album "SOS," SZA told more than 200 concertgoers that "Lana" is going to feel more like “a whole ‘nother album,” since it will include up to 10 songs, and it will come out this fall.
The intimate concert, overlooking the Manhattan skyline, featured various complimentary food trucks, open bars and free exclusive t-shirts for guests. The concert also had a few celebrity guests, including NLE Choppa, EarthGang and rapper Ice Spice, who performed onstage.
“We don’t actually have a plan; we’re just playing some songs off the deluxe,” the singer told the crowd. “We’re just gonna play a couple of songs you already know. But it was really just, I just wanted to do something for free that was a vibe because I’m here in town.”
"SOS" was released in December 2022 and obtained huge commercial success, breaking a seven-year Billboard record as the longest reigning number one album in the U.S. by a woman since Adele's album, "25."
"SOS" was the singer's first album in more than half a decade, following her Grammy-nominated 2017 album, "Ctrl."
“I’ve been a big fan of SZA for about three or four years now, and I heard she was doing a show nearby, so I hopped on the train and have been waiting for a few hours now,” said Brandon Davidson, a lucky fan who was able to secure one of the free tickets.
“I’ve been a SZA fan since 2014,” said Chris Green at the concert. “I’m definitely looking forward to the deluxe album; I definitely can’t wait.”
During the concert, SZA performed her hit songs from both "SOS" and "Ctrl," including "Snooze," "Kill Bill," "Good Day," "Love Galore" and "Broken Clocks."
The singer also performed unreleased songs from the upcoming deluxe album, including "PSA," the song originally used for the "SOS" album teaser, and "Diamond Boy," the song teased at the end of her recent music video for "Snooze."
“I love her lyricism and the way that she makes you feel like you're going to a place when you listen to any one of her given songs,” Davidson said. “My favorite song of hers is probably either '20 Something' or 'Supermodel,' just because those really resonate with some things that I’ve been through, and how I’m feeling, self-esteem-wise.”
After the event ended at 11:00pm, concert-goers stuck around to dance and socialize with other SZA fans.
“Everybody was a good vibe; there was no pushing and shoving. Everybody had a good time, and I had a great, great time — I enjoyed myself,” Green said.
.png;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)
