On Dec. 3, SZA announced on “Saturday Night Live” that she would be releasing an album titled “SOS” on Dec. 9, 2022.

With “SOS” being SZA’s first album release in five years, fans were overwhelmed with excitement when hearing the announcement of her new album.

“I was really surprised because she hasn’t released music in such a long time, but once I saw she was releasing a new album, I was so excited!” SZA fan and junior Roque Hansen said. “I heard a snippet of ‘Ghost in the Machine’ and got even more excited because I saw it had a Phoebe Bridgers feature. I marked it in my calendar and the second it came out, I was listening.”

SZA’s first album, “Ctrl,” was extremely successful and sold over two million copies worldwide. This made the expectations for “SOS” fairly high with fans across the globe anticipating the release.

“I think it showed [comparing “SOS” to “Ctrl”] a lot of maturity in her work,” junior Cole Petersen said. “It also showed her ability to improve and talk about things she might not have been willing to talk about with her first album. I feel like she overall expanded on her lyrical capabilities.”

Since the release of “SOS,” multiple songs off the album have been featured in Spotify and Apple Music’s top hits playlists, including the songs “Kill Bill,” “Nobody Gets Me,” and “Shirt.”

“My favorite song off ‘SOS’ is ‘Open Arms’ because I am able to relate to the lyrics,” SZA fan and junior Cameron Lynch said.

“Open Arms” is the 20th song off “SOS.” The song has a feature from rapper Travis Scott. However, this is not SZA’s and Travis Scott’s first time working together. The two have made songs together like “Love Galore” and “Power is Power.”

“Open Arms” is about being loyal to a person who loves and accepts you for you. In Travis Scott’s feature, he sings about loving someone and forever being devoted to them through thick and thin.

“The long-awaited ‘SOS’ by the wonderful r&b/pop artist, SZA, is an album worth the wait. With a mix of r&b inspired jazzy songs and a pop-funk weaved into it, she does not disappoint,” SZA fan and Centennial High junior Eli Mwesigwa said.

“With hits like ‘Kill Bill’ showcasing her musical prowess versus the amazing features she gets from upcoming artists like Don Toliver and Phoebe Bridgers, this album is a masterpiece,” Mwesigwa said. “Final rating is 8.7/10.”

The hit song “Kill Bill” is a favorite for many SZA fans. The song has reached over 50 million streams on Spotify in the first two weeks of being released. In the song, SZA is unpacking her past relationship with her ex-boyfriend, and the negative emotions he made her feel. Regardless of these feelings, she is still in love with him.

Overall, SZA’s entire career has been overwhelmingly successful with fans feeling satisfied with the outcome of “SOS.”

“The anticipation for ‘SOS’ was nerve wracking and probably the most exciting thing for me ever since it was announced,” SZA fan and junior Grace Risk exclaimed. “My jaw was on the floor through the entirety of listening to it. After having enough time to fully listen to the lyrics and the sounds, I felt like crying and screaming and jumping.”

After discussing SZA’s entire career and the success she has earned such as winning a Grammy and having songs featured in box office hits.

“I’m glad we have someone like SZA. Someone so gorgeous and talented that still feels pain and rejection and hurt,” Risk said. “It feels like she stepped into her power with her musical abilities. Every song has such a specific feel to it and they are all so unique in their own ways.”