NJ's own SZA receives most Grammy nominations this year with nine, including album of year

The lists of artists vying for the top awards at the 2024 Grammys read like a smattering of pop culture stardom from the past decade: Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish, Janelle Monáe, Lana Del Rey and more.

But no one was nominated for more Grammy Awards on Friday than New Jersey's own SZA.

The artist, born Solána Rowe and raised in Maplewood, is up for nine nominations including Album of the Year for the acclaimed "SOS" and Record of the Year for "Kill Bill" off that album. The ceremony will be held on Feb. 4 in Los Angeles.

The influential music website Pitchfork said in a glowing review that "SOS" solidifies SZA as "a generational talent." The album broke the record for most weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's R&B chart.

This is SZA's first nomination as a solo artist in the major categories of record. She won a Grammy in 2022 for a duo performance with the singer Doja Cat. Her music is often difficult to categorize, with influences from R&B, soul, hip-hop and even jazz vocals sometimes in the same song.

A few days before her nominations, SZA celebrated her 34th birthday on Wednesday and took to X, the website formerly known as Twitter, to thank her family, friends and fans for their support: "I’m grateful to be alive! thank you for all the positive energy, kind words, and prayers in my direction today and everyday."

A 2008 graduate of Columbia High School, SZA has not been a stranger to New Jersey. In 2020, she joined Gov. Phil Murphy for an Instagram event confirming Juneteenth as a state holiday.

She noted at the time that “Jersey as a whole has so much potential to be just this amazing resting place for diversity and growth and learning.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: How many 2024 Grammy nominations did SZA receive?