A Sunday in Brooklyn with SZA
/It's a hot Sunday in Brooklyn when Ms. Solana Rowe casually strolls in with her crew like true #squadgoals. The soft, tranquil, zen-like interior sets an atmosphere of intimacy, as the dinner party guest take their seats. Complete with positive vibes, good company, and delicious food, the table is set for those dope Instagram worthy moments that most millennial creatives strive for.
What has been deemed as Sza's first studio album and a debut for a plethora of new fans, Ctrl really couldn't have come at a more perfect time. Over a month removed from its June release date, I'm still brainstorming words for a worthy think piece, simply because it resonates so closely with me and so many different women with our wildly complex emotions. The beauty is absolutely in the details. Between this album and the latest release of her label-mate, Kendrick Lamar, the TDE prominence in my listening sessions has been nothing less than therapeutic; both records are still in heavy rotation and I'm making it my business to purchase hard copies soon.
As someone who has always felt somewhat of a personal connection to Sza through her music, I am extremely proud of where she has managed to land in her career. Who she is as an artist - as a human being - is so damn inspiring. I owe it to my self to constantly plug in to that kind of magic, which I think is embodied perfectly in this dinner party mini-film with her and some of her closest friends and teammates, including the mastermind and honcho of the TDE empire, Terrence “Punch” Henderson.
"...I feel like empowerment and women is so damn conceptual. The key is just doing what you want..do what you want and you have to believe in what you want, even when other people don't which is the scary part...like how much am I having success with my ideas vs. how much am I facing adversity and then you just weigh than in, go back, do it again, and you have to just trust yourself and allow yourself to level up." - Sza
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video credits:
DIRECTOR
Joseph Patel
CREATIVE PRODUCER
Anupa Mistry
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Kevin Hayden
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
Amelia D’Entrone
Craig D’Entrone
Joseph Patel
EDITORS
Lika Kumoi
Billy Song
Dave Osborn
CONSULTING PRODUCERS
Sue Chan & Emily Levins
for Care of Chan
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Stephanie Donnelly
LINE PRODUCER
Richard Kathlean
STORY PRODUCER
JaSaun Buckner
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Ryan Markee
PRODUCTION COORDINATORS
Hailey Rovner
Julian Seltzer
CAMERA OP B
Emmett Kaake
CAMERA OP C
Dylan Padilla
ASSISTANT CAMERA
Dereck Sexton Horani
Alex Watson-Eng
AUDIO SUPERVISOR
Kurt Seery
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
Tyler Orr
MUSIC & TALENT for VEVO
Annie Shapiro
Jordan Glickson
RCA RECORDS
Tom Corson
Peter Edge
John Fleckenstein
Tunji Balogun
Carlos Cuadros
Carolyn Wiliams
Tarek Al-Hamdouni
Michelle Bodnar
George Clark
TDE
Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith
Terrence “Punch” Henderson
Dave “Miyatola” Free
Roberto “Ret One” Reyes