How Do You Say SZA's Name? Singer Reveals Meaning Behind It

SZA is expected to win a bunch of Grammys tonight, but some viewers might have difficulty trying to pronounce her name – so let’s fill you in!

The 34-year-old singer, whose real name is Solána Imani Rowe, is nominated for more awards than anyone else this year with nine nods.

SZA is up for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and more. She previously won a Grammy in 2022 for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Kiss Me More.”

So, how do you say SZA?

Keep reading to find out more…

The correct way to pronounce SZA‘s name is “Sizza.”

InStyle once asked for the weirdest pronunciations she has heard and she revealed, “You name it. Like anything ‘Zah.’ Anything, like ‘Zzzz,’ stopping at the ‘zzz’ or going over it.”

The mag also asked how she picked the name.

“It’s an acronym derived from the Supreme Alphabet [of the Nation of Gods and Earths, an alphanumeric code developed by Clarence 13X,] if you’re familiar with Wu-Tang and RZA [who also chose his name based on the Supreme Alphabet]. So each letter stands for a different ideology and theme. The S stands for Sovereign or Self, Savior; the Z stands for Zig-Zag-Zig, which is enlightenment and acknowledgement of one’s self; and the A stands for the most high of all [Allah],” she revealed.

Make sure to tune in TONIGHT for the Grammys, hosted by Trevor Noah for the fourth time. The show is airing on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ starting at 8pm ET. Check out the full list of nominations.