After her double victory at the 2025 AMAs in Las Vegas, SZA shared a carousel of behind-the-scenes photos that got fans talking. But one of the images had resonance, which wasn’t just because of the hardware in her hands. No, it was the champagne bottle balancing oh-so-nonchalantly on her lower back, a playful allusion to Kim Kardashian’s rump-tastic 2014 Paper magazine cover that nearly “Broke the Internet.”
Whereas Kim’s iconic pose had a champagne stream arcing into a glass strategically balanced on her bare behind, SZA kept it demure and relaxed, not a shimmer of glass but bubbly and balanced. And at the end of the night, if Kim poured, SZA soared and beamed with a smile so full of joy, it was hard not to raise a toast right along with her.
The tribute didn’t escape notice, either Kardashian’s original photo by legendary photographer Jean-Paul Goude had previously accounted for nearly 1% of all U.S. internet traffic in a day. SZA’s version? Not to her fans, for whom she is also an enduring icon.
Aside from the pose, the evening was also about the wins for SZA, two of them, to be exact. Winning Favorite R&B Song for “Saturn” and Favorite Female R&B Artist, she fought back tears as she accepted the awards during the ceremony at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, which Jennifer Lopez hosted.
“Thank you for selecting the song,” she said humbly during her acceptance speech. I’m just so grateful to everybody who worked on this song. The energy that was created making the song was easy, and I’m just grateful.”
When she went to collect her second trophy, Favorite Female R&B Artist, SZA delivered an emotional shoutout to internet personality Kai Cenat, who handed out the award. “Tell them about Streaming University,” she added with a chuckle. “Congrats to Kai. I’m so proud of you. I will be happy for my friends, okay.”
She also thanked fans who had voted, noting it was “our first time like entering, fan-won award.” Her simple but sincere words of warmth and wonder were: “You know what? … I love you so much, just as much as you love me, probably more; you have no idea.
With photos that honored family, fellow artists like Shaboozey, and one memorable champagne stunt, SZA taught us that winning is sweeter when done in joy and with a little internet-breaking flair.
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