a modern classic (sza’s ctrl)

Released on June 09, 2017, SZA’s Ctrl has established itself as a cultural phenomenon. This album full of raw emotion certainly encapsulates the word “classic”, which is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “a work of enduring excellence” (1). With its five-year anniversary earlier this year, it has become increasingly clear that Ctrl has catapulted to the status of a modern classic not only for its narrative and musical excellence but also for its relevance to today’s generation.

In the 14-track album, artist SZA (Solana Rowe) masterfully utilizes the medium of music to bare her heart, mind, and soul to her audience as she sings about love, loss, growing up, and her relationship with control. Set in the genres of alternative R&B and neo-soul, and with influences from other genres, Ctrl is an intimate conversion that SZA has with her listeners; the album almost feels like taking a peek into SZA’s personal diary.

The narrative of this album follows a woman in her 20s as she intimately recounts her past loves, contemplates her relationships with others and herself, and looks within to decide what she’s worth, what she’s looking for, and how she fits in society. SZA is painstakingly honest as she delves into these topics to which many people growing up can relate. Sometimes it even feels like she can see into your soul and lyricise the raw fears, insecurities, and worries that hide away deep in your soul. Her songs make you feel seen in a way that strips away all the outer layers and leaves only your still-beating heart. The themes of finding control in life, figuring out self-love, and grappling with growing up that she presents throughout the album are extremely relevant to the mentality of today’s generation.

Written in the burgeoning era of destigmatizing mental health issues, the frank and real nature of SZA’s lyrics and vocal performance meshed perfectly with the climate of society at the time. It is as if she declares to the world that she is a woman; she is beautiful; she is insecure; she is worthy of love; she’s a work-in-progress, and that’s all okay. These messages resonated– and still do– with an overwhelming amount of people due to the universality of the album’s concepts.

One of the major themes of this album is the idea of growing up and the emotions associated with it. On the track ‘Prom’, SZA sings, “Fearin’ not growin’ up/ Keepin’ me up at night/ Am I doin’ enough?/ Feel like I’m wastin’ time/ Promise to get a little/ Better as I get older” (6). No matter where you are in life, these fears of wasting your life and not doing enough follow you everywhere. Since our time on this earth is so ephemeral and fleeting, we constantly worry about how to make the most of it, but SZA wisely states in an interview that “You don’t always have to rush. You can always just grow” (2).

I know that, personally, this song was on my senior year playlist as I dealt with my biggest indication of growing up so far: graduation. It can be so scary waking up one day and realizing that all those years you thought you had still had slipped by without your notice. You never think about it because it’s so obvious, but every day we grow a little older. It’s terrifying and wonderful and overwhelming and magical all at the same time, and SZA captures some of that allure in this album.

Additionally, as suggested by the title of the album itself, SZA grapples heavily with the idea of control throughout this album. Ctrl begins with an excerpt from SZA’s mother as she remarks, “That is my greatest fear/ That if, if I lost control/ Or did not have control, things would just, you know/ I would be… fatal”, which sets the tone of the album from the start (5). Control and the lack of control is a concept SZA and a majority of people tackle constantly. Throughout the work, SZA ponders how much control she has over her life, her loves, and herself. This is something that a lot of people struggle with in life; it can be hard to accept the fact that there are things you can not control, especially when people and life become extremely aggravating and disappointing. The album twirls these ideas around, culminating in SZA’s overall message and revelation that it’s better to let go and be open in the present moment rather than get caught up in trying to control every aspect of life. It is a virtue that SZA has learned from her mother, who she describes as “living in openness and acceptance” that she “really never understood” (2). This idea is reflected in one of her mother’s excerpts as she says, “then it’s out of my hands. And, y’know, while as I said it can be scary, it can also be a little bit comforting” (7).

It can be freeing to allow yourself to live in the moment and move through life adapting to its obstacles. SZA expanded on her attitude toward control in an interview and said, “I’ve lacked control my whole life and I think I’ve craved it my whole life. … There’s no such thing as control anyway. It’s just a concept, a word, a fantasy. But if you focus on the way you feel in the now and what you do with the now, I feel like it leads to having true control in the future” (3).

This idea definitely helped me in the many years I’ve listened to this album as I personally had to work through situations where life didn’t go my way or people let me down. SZA and her mother’s comforting words held my hand as I faced, endured, and survived each of those situations.

All in all, SZA’s debut album is a love letter to all the versions of herself that she has been and all the versions of herself she has yet to become. It is a promise that the future will be better. It is a broken and battered heart choosing to still beat despite all the damage it has sustained. It is resilience and hope personified and lyricised. Bathed in vulnerability and forged through pain, this album has emerged as a diamond, which is reflected in its 3x Platinum status in the United States (4).

The themes of growth, love, and control are the pillars with which SZA has constructed this modern feat of brilliance, and the realness of her songs brings about a sense of solace as if she was holding your heart tenderly through all of your tough times. I know that, for me, these songs have been there through all of my darkest nights and even some of my brightest days. It has allowed me to reflect on myself and find strength in letting myself be vulnerable. My friends have even joked about having a “Ctrl” kind of day, and we instantly know that even though it feels like an insurmountable time now, we will get through it like we have done numerous times before.

There is also a certain kind of power that resides in having a community of people that you know share the same insecurities, fears, and worries that you do. Ctrl provides that connection to people we have never met and may never meet, and it reminds us that no matter alone we may feel, there is someone who understands, who has gone through it, and who has prospered despite the hardships. That is something incredibly meaningful and unique about this album as it reflects the mentality of this generation. Few other albums capture the mindset, feelings, insecurities, and essence of an age the way Ctrl does, and that is why it has earned the status of a modern classic.

kevin tian

a modern classic (sza’s ctrl)

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