Much to everyone's surprise, SZA wasn't the popular girl back in high school, in fact, she was considered one of the lame kids and was bullied for it. But it was that experience that changed and it motivated her to aim for success.
The Grammy-Awarded singer revealed in her interview with People: "I was bullied because I wasn't quiet and I was awkward at the same time."
But despite being bullied, she kept her head high and stayed true to herself. "I wasn't this tiny sad victim, but I was more so attacked just because it was giving 'What is wrong with you?' energy."
"I always thought, 'Oh my God.' I'll never have the approval of anyone in life, this must be my defining factor, [and] this must be the bottom line."
Her horrible high school experience did not end with the bullying, she was also friendless and even skipped prom. The irony doesn't escape her though.
"It's so weird that my life turned into [having] a bodyguard while traveling to parties," she continued.
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Diamond
SZA appears to be a diamond in the rough. She refused to accept that her "s**tty" experience in the past would define who she will be in her future.
"Everyone who experiences bullying, that just sucks, but it's going to lead you to something, it has to," she reflected.
SZA is light years away from who she was seen as in high school, as she is now one of the most successful singers in her generation.
She recently released her sophomore album "SOS" which quickly climbed the US and UK charts and is now currently spending its third straight week atop the Billboard 200.
She will also be embarking on a tour in support of the highly successful album. According to reports, the 17-date arena tour in North America was sold out in seconds, which just proves just how big and successful she is as an artist.
SZA, born Solána Imani Rowe, hails from St. Louis, Missouri. She has several awards and accolades under her belt, including two BET Awards for Best New Artist in 2018 and BET HER Award in 2021.
She was named Top R&B Female Artist in 2021 by the Billboard Music Awards, and she also won Top Viral song for "Kiss Me More," a song she collab with Doja Cat.
"Kiss Me More" also earned the 33-year-old a Grammy Award. It was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, and won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
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