SZA (born Solana Rowe on November 8, 1990) is a singer/songwriter. Rowe was raised Sunni Muslim and lived in St. Louis, Missouri until she was ten, at which point her family moved to Maplewood, New Jersey. A self described "science nerd" and accomplished gymnast, teenage Rowe would often sneak out with friends to avoid her strict parents. At university, Rowe majored in marine biology - afterwards, she took odd jobs such as bartending and sales as she started recording music in May 2012. She released her first EP, See.SZA.Run in October. In April 2013, SZA released her S EP- In July of that same year, it was announced she was signed to Top Dawg Entertainment and began working on her Z EP, which would eventually become a full-fledged album. Z was released in April 2014. Her influences include Miles Davis, Björk, and LFO. Her official website is IAMSZA.COM. Her two EPs can be downloaded for free at her Soundcloud.
