SZA talks pressures of fame, confirms getting plastic surgery: 'I paid for it'

Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY
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SZA's body has been a topic of conversation for years, like many other singers in the industry. Now, she's setting the record straight.

The 33-year-old old hinted at getting a Brazilian butt lift in the intro to her 2022 album "SOS," and she confirmed getting plastic surgery in a cover story with Elle published Wednesday.

"I treat my butt like a purse. It's just there to enhance whatever else," she said. "And that's why I paid for it, because it works all by itself."

The singer added that her decision wasn't influenced by the pressures of fame, but a longtime desire to have a bigger backside.

SZA discussed plastic surgery in her Elle cover story.
SZA discussed plastic surgery in her Elle cover story.

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She said she "always wanted" the results she has now, but "with less gym time. I didn’t succumb to industry pressure," SZA said. "I succumbed to my own eyes in the mirror and being like, 'No, I need some more…'"

The singer has frequently discussed her desire to change her figure. In her 2018 song "Garden," SZA sings, "Lie to me and say my booty gettin' bigger even if it ain't" and "You know I'm sensitive 'bout havin' no booty / Havin' nobody, only you, buddy."

In addition to SZA's surgery admission in "SOS," the project marks one of her most honest pieces of work. The singer admits to having a toxic relationship with men in "Kill Bill," feeling like a "loser" in "Special" and ignoring red flags in "Blind."

"It's freeing and empowering," she said of the creative process. "I did deserve less. I have did terrible things. I do miss my ex. I do got acne, I got eczema, like whatever."

Her candid album has attracted other celebrities, including Adele, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Justin and Hailey Bieber, Olivia Rodrigo, Pedro Pascal and Avril Lavigne, to come to her tour stop at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.

"You left the mansion to come to this, to slum it," SZA told Elle.

SZA performs onstage during the "SOS" North American tour.
SZA performs onstage during the "SOS" North American tour.

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Despite the success of her tour, the singer admits that she still feels on thin ice. "Had the first three shows of my tour gone poorly, would the rest of my dates have been sold out? Would those people be outside waiting in line by the time we got to L.A.? No," SZA said.

She added: "All it takes is, what, three poorly shot TikTok videos to basically decide that this tour is not worth coming to see."

Fans are quick to turn their backs on their favorite singers, even if they do connect to their art, she said.

SZA got candid about the fleeting nature of fame.
SZA got candid about the fleeting nature of fame.

"I know that people don't love me because love is really unconditional, and I'm one scandal away from being canceled indefinitely like anyone else," SZA said. "I'm grateful that they like my art and that it speaks to them, and it connects and tethers all of us together in this weird way. It's dope, but it's also still a string that could be cut at any moment."

SZA's "SOS" spent 10 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and her song "Kill Bill" off the album broke the record for most weeks at No. 1 by a female artist on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop songs chart. Mary J. Blige previously held the title with her 2006 hit "Be Without You."

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SZA confirms enhancing her butt via plastic surgery: 'I paid for it'