R&B singer SZA came to UD and the reason why may be found at her sold out Philly concert

Eagle-eyed University of Delaware students turned wide-eyed when they saw an Instagram story post by Grammy-winning R&B singer SZA earlier this year.

The post depicted the popular performer ― a one-time Delaware State University student ― in a familiar environment for some Blue Hens: by the pool at UD's Carpenter Sports Building, nicknamed the "Little Bob."

The background gave away the location: a white wall decorated with unique blue and gold squares and a UD-branded banner bearing the logo for the Coastal Athletic Association, the athletic conference in which UD's swimming and diving team competes. A white background drape is also seen, often used in photo and film shoots.

Soon, the image was posted by popular Instagram account "Delawarechicks," a Barstool Sports-affiliated account that boasts more than 21,000 followers, which is only about 2,000 people fewer than are enrolled at the Newark-based university.

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SZA's February post came two months after the release of her sophomore album "SOS," which landed her at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 charts for the first time. The nautical album cover depicted her sitting on a diving board, surrounded by a deep blue ocean.

The answer to why she was on campus may come at her sold-out show at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center next week.

UD campus reaction

Once the image began to spread, jaws began to drop.

The caption with the Delawarechicks post, liked by more than 3,000 people, referenced the Carpenter Sports Building popular gyms with students: "POV u finish ur 12 3 30 [treadmill workout] listening to kill bill on repeat and then u run into sza on the way out."

In fact, it seems that wasn't too far from the truth.

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UD swim team member Philip Townsend responded, "Literally right after my practice."

Another student, _lils_ on TiKTok, posted her own reaction online. With a background showing the screenshot of SZA at the pool, the student mouthed the lyrics to SZA's song "Kill Bill" under the message, "Me finding out that SZA and I were in the same building today."

"I might kill my ex, not the best idea. His new girlfriend's next. How'd I get here?" she lip-synched.

But it seems SZA came and went without making too much of a scene judging by the lack of any other photos showing the singer/songwriter on campus.

UD's student newspaper The Review covered the visit with a satirical column titled "Why SZA was at the Lil Bob (wrong answers only)" by Gaby Nieves, co-managing editor of the paper's features section.

"What better place to lay low than a state that people literally call “Dela … where?” she joked.

Her lighthearted column listed possible reasons for SZA's visit, including a swim team tryout or perhaps she “just killed [her] ex” and laying low à la "Kill Bill."

What was the shoot used for?

All signs point to SZA's UD visit being tied to a film or photo session for her world tour supporting "SOS."

Her February pool shoot came just a week before the launch of the first North American leg of the tour, a production that area fans didn't get to see because SZA postponed her scheduled March 2 Philadelphia concert at Wells Fargo Center, blaming “unforeseen logistical/production issues” in a Twitter apology.

In reality, the blame for the postponement was probably more complex. SZA was named a few months later as a headliner for the annual Jay-Z-founded Made in America festival on Benjamin Franklin Parkway and organizers likely didn't want to dampen the demand by following an arena show in the same city six months prior.

In the end, the festival was canceled after co-headliner Lizzo made headlines due to harassment and toxic work environment accusations from some of her background dancers, leaving SZA fans waiting for Tuesday's rescheduled sold-out Wells Fargo Center.

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What fans will see is a marine-themed show, tying into the "SOS" album cover, which was a reference to a photo of Princess Diana in a similar pose aboard a yacht on the Mediterranean Sea in 1997.

On tour, SZA wears the same dark hockey jersey as seen in the UD photos, along with pre-recorded marine scenes.

"Uniting it all were water themes — she opened the show sitting on the edge of a diving board, as she does on the cover of 'SOS,' here wearing a navy jersey bearing the name Yemaya, the Yoruba goddess of the sea," New York Times pop music critic Jon Caramanica wrote, reviewing her March show at Madison Square Garden.

"At the back of the stage, a huge screen displayed waters that increasingly turned choppy, then undersea life. Some of her onstage setups included a huge fishing vessel and an oversized anchor, though they were more props than narrative devices," he continued, revealing SZA even floated above the crowd in a lifeboat rigged to the arena's ceiling.

Even though SZA ― born Solána Imani Rowe in St. Louis and raised in New Jersey ― left DSU before graduating, it seems the former marine biology major got hooked on the subject matter.

SZA's representatives did not return messages about her First State visit and UD officials never provided any information about it either.

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It's unknown if any of the footage or images from UD eventually landed in the tour production or promotional materials. Maybe some of those sharp-eyed UD students will be at her Philadelphia concert next week and will spot something.

Until then, we can only dream one thing comes from SZA's Delaware mystery:

Even though the singer has performed in Delaware once before ― a 12-song set at Dover's Firefly Music Festival in 2018, just across U.S. Route 13 from her former college ― she's never put on a show in Newark.

So let's hope the music superstar liked what she saw and will perhaps return for a show next door at the Bob Carpenter Center, although it sure would be hard for the 5,100-person "Big Bob" to lure such a big fish.

Have a story idea? Contact Ryan Cormier of Delaware Online/The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier) and X (Twitter) (@ryancormier).

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: How touch of Delaware could share stage at SZA concert in Philadelphia