‘Clock starts now’: After years of broken promises, SZA might actually release her new highly-anticipated album as planned

After years of teasing, SZA has kicked off the countdown for the release of her eagerly-anticipated new project, telling fans on social media that the “clock starts now.”

Announcing the project — which serves as a deluxe edition of her 2022 Grammy-winning album SOS — SZA shared a teaser clip which sees her squatting in the woods to pee (iconic) as a dreamy song plays in the background. While the song samples the Isley Brothers’ “Voyage To Atlantis,” it appears to be an unheard SZA track, presumably lifted from the track list of the upcoming deluxe project. 

At the end of the clip, the word “Lana” appears in ethereal font above “SOS Deluxe,” confirming that the former is the title of the expanded version of the album. “Clock starts now,” the musician wrote in the accompanying caption, before wishing fans a “Happy anniversary” for the two years since SOS’s release. Naturally, given just how long SZA has been teasing Lana, the fan reaction was one of disbelief and excitement. 

“SHES ACTUALLY GONNA DROP IT HOLY S***,” one eager fan wrote, with another adding that the singer is “coming to save the music industry.” While the teaser frustratingly doesn’t reveal an official release date for Lana, it’s nonetheless a promising step forward for a project SZA has been discussing for almost two years.

sza is coming to save the music industry

— ✩ (@isismunch) December 10, 2024

It all began back in the months after SOS dropped, when SZA said a deluxe edition of the project was coming “soon” (yeah right). Then, in January of this year, she revealed that her process of creating the deluxe had expanded to become ten whole new tracks, before later saying that she would release both a deluxe and an entirely new album titled Lana.

Now, it seems the deluxe and Lana are the same thing, though we don’t yet know how many songs will feature on the project. Our hopes were dashed yet again in March, when SZA said she was scrapping the entire project after a few songs were leaked on social media. That was enough to send fans into a downright tizzy.

SZA, meanwhile, remained tight-lipped on the whole ordeal until two weeks ago, when she appeared on a livestream with internet personality Kai Cenat and fellow musician Lizzo. When asked about the status of Lana, the musician said it would “be out before the year is over.” For some fans, that felt like an empty promise, but the release of a teaser for the deluxe has recouped some of the hope that perhaps Lana will arrive by the end of 2024. 

The fanfare only intensified earlier this week, when SZA shared a photo of what appeared to be the track list for Lana written on a whiteboard. While the song titles were concealed, she did leave visible the name “Saturn,” a song which was previously released as a surprise in February. As for what we can expect from Lana, SZA told British Vogue earlier this year that unlike SOS and her debut album Ctrl, this project won’t be informed so much by heartbreak or “brokenness.”

“I think I am making music from a more beautiful place,” the singer said. “From a more possible place versus a more angsty place. I’m not identifying with my brokenness. It’s not my identity. Yeah, I experienced cruelty. I have to put it down at some point. Piece by piece, my music is shifting because of that, the lighter I get.” Sounds like she might’ve gotten over that ex-boyfriend she wanted to murder on “Kill Bill”, and we’re totally here for that.