SZA will be honored at the 53rd Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Dinner, which takes place Thursday, June 13, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.
SZA will be presented with the Hal David Starlight Award, which recognizes “gifted young songwriters who are making a significant impact in the music industry with their original songs.”
Nile Rodgers, music legend and chairman of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, states: “This is such an exciting time for songwriters and music. Phenomenal artists like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are pushing the envelope of what success looks like but who could argue that the last two years belong to SZA. Incredible songwriting, incredible performances, incredible artistry. She so deserves to be the 2024 recipient of the Hal David Starlight Award!”
Past Hal David Starlight Award recipients include Alicia Keys, Drake, John Legend, and Ne-Yo, among others. SZA will become the second Black woman to receive the award, following Keys who was awarded in 2005.
SZA’s new award will come four months after winning three trophies at the 2024 Grammy Awards. The New Jersey native took home the prize for Best Progressive R&B Album for her second LP, SOS. Additionally, she won Best R&B (“Snooze“) and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (“Ghost in the Machine” featuring Phoebe Bridgers).
Released Dec. 10, 2022, SOS debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 318,000 equivalent units sold. The album spent 10 total weeks atop the popular albums chart. At the time of publication, SOS is No. 1 for 66th week on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart. It’s the longest-running No. 1 on the Top R&B Albums chart.
“Snooze” is the longest-charting single on the Hot 100. The song, produced by Babyface and Leon Thomas, has spent 69 weeks on the chart, where it peaked at No. 2 in the chart dated Oct. 7, 2023. As of today (April 16), “Snooze” is No. 20 on the Hot 100.
The album’s smash single, “Kill Bill” reached No. 1 in April 2023, becoming SZA’s first chart-topper on the Hot 100.
