On the first Monday in May, SZA made a statement-making appearance at the 2022 Met Gala red carpet in an over-the-top pink Vivienne Westwood Couture strapless gown with full skirt, worn with an oversize wide-brim hat with latex gloves and leggings by Atsuko Kudo. The look brought a cool edge to the “Gilded Glamour” dress code, but according to SZA, her outfit was a “very last minute choice.”
“I just wanted to fit the theme,” the singer and songwriter tells GRAZIA USA.
While she described walking the star-studded carpet as “terrifying,” she was in very good company inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Literally, everyone was at my table,” she says. “I talked the most to Kylie Jenner, Jack Harlow and Chloe Bailey. Everyone was so nice! Especially the Instagram team, so very thankful to them for inviting me.”
In addition to being the official sponsor of The Costume Institute’s “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” exhibition, the social media platform also hosted a star-studded afterparty and tapped SZA as the surprise guest performance.
At around 1 a.m., she took the stage, blessing attendees with her ethereal vocals along with a set by DJ Anderson.Paak. She went a little more casual than her couture red carpet gown, performing in a graphic tee, bomber jacket, jeans, and sneakers, but still radiated that signature SZA glow on stage as she performed her hit R&B songs “I Hate U” and “Kiss Me More” (which was quickly shared on Instagram by attendees, of course).
“It was fun; I always love singing,” she tells GRAZIA USA of the afterparty. “I saw some old friends, like Coco and Breezy, I haven’t seen in a long time since I lived in the city.”
SZA is coming off a whirlwind month after winning her first Grammy Award in April with Doja Cat for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Kiss Me More” and says she’s “still on cloud nine.”
But she’s already looking ahead for what’s next. “I’m very excited to put my own album out and have that represent me however it needs to.” She’s about to release her highly-anticipated sophomore album (her first in five years) and told the crowd at the Instagram afterparty that it will drop sometime this summer.
After recording wrapped, she said she’s looking forward to “never talking or coming outside again .. because I want to focus on speaking, being, and breathing through my art only.” For 2022, she’s manifesting “prosperity, individuality and freedom.”
Sounds like good days are ahead for both the singer and fans.
