For a Grammy-winning industry titan like SZA, the Super Bowl stage is massive and wouldn't even be the word. And when you're on stage in front of millions with Kendrick Lamar in one of the most-watched shows of the year, nerves? Well, they're almost an assurance.
SZA recently got candid about the disorganized backstage vibe before taking the stage for her Super Bowl Halftime Show concert at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on The Severance Podcast with Ben Stiller and Adam Scott. Needless to say, the anxiety was observable.
SZA was supposed to have a longer spot in the show and was initially prepared to perform a different song than she did when the outbreak circulated. She was not upset when the plan diverted, trimming and adjusting her track; she was relieved.
"My performance actually had more time with another song and I was kind of relieved," she admitted. "That gave me less access to hurt myself on film or in public."
Who hasn't welcomed a last-minute alteration when the heat's turned too high? For SZA, that shorter set offered fewer possibilities to trip up under the stadium lights and the watchful eyes of millions worldwide.
As Kenrick hit the final stretch of his set, SZA leaped on stage for a one-two punch of "Luther" and "All of the Stars. "It felt like the right kind of decisive moment, even if it was not what was initially scheduled. However, she didn't say which song was lost (assumption among fans runs wild: "Gloria," "Babylon," "Doves in the Wind," or maybe "30 for 30"). The last pick landed precisely correctly.
But it wasn't just the logistics of the performance that startled her. SZA was frank about the emotional displacement of it all, calling the Super Bowl stage "the biggest of her life." That sort of visibility isn't only exciting but fierce, and she felt it.
But amid all that tension and second-guessing, SZA made it happen with elegance, strength, and calm that misrepresented what was ensuing inside. While she didn't overstate what she does to calm herself backstage, she could keep it together during such a massive cultural moment is a testament to how far she's come, not just as an artist in life.
"I just couldn't believe that I was part of it," she said, a hint of awe in her voice.
And that's the fantasy of moments like this: no one is immune to the burden of so much expectation, not even the most well-known artists. SZA's sincerity reminds us that a human heart is still pounding under the limelight amid all this glam and glitter. And sometimes, the most influential victory is scoring a touchdown and remaining humble when everything else in the universe is over the top.
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