00:01SZA, Inducted into New Jersey Hall of Fame, 2026 Class
00:07SZA has added another major honor to a historic career.
00:10The Grammy-winning singer was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame on September 24
00:15as part of its 2026 class in the Performing Arts and Entertainment category.
00:21The honor reflects her New Jersey roots.
00:23Born in St. Louis, she was raised in Maplewood and graduated from Columbia High School.
00:28The 18th annual ceremony was held at the Dream Live Performing Arts Center at American Dream
00:35in East Rutherford and hosted by Dani DeVito.
00:38She joins a 2026 class spanning entertainment, sports, public service, business, and education,
00:45including former Governor Christine Todd Whitman and former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence L.T.
00:51Taylor.
00:52Control and SOS
00:55The Hall of Fame highlighted SZA as a seven-time Grammy winner with more than 70 billion streams.
01:02SZA broke through with her 2017 debut, Control, which earned five Grammy nominations,
01:07is certified six times platinum, and includes the Travis Scott collaboration Love Galore, which went diamond.
01:13According to the Hall of Fame, Control became the first album by a female artist to spend 460 consecutive weeks
01:21on the Billboard 200.
01:24SOS, released in December 2022, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and spent 13 weeks at the top.
01:32The album is certified eight times platinum and hits Kill Bill and Snooze, are both diamond certified.
01:39The Hall of Fame notes that SOS was the first album by a female artist to spend 100 weeks in
01:45the Billboard 200 top 10,
01:47surpassing Michael Jackson's Thriller for the longest top 10 stay by a black artist on that chart.
01:54Awards, tours, and expansion
01:57SZA's seven Grammys include Record of the Year for Luther, with Kendrick Lamar Best R&B Song for Snooze and
02:03Saturn and Best Progressive R&B Album for SOS.
02:08She also received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for All the Stars, with Lamar from the Black Panther soundtrack.
02:15The SOS tour became one of the highest-grossing solo concert tours by a black female artist.
02:22She later joined Lamar on the 2025 Grand National Tour, which the Hall of Fame called the most successful duo
02:30tour ever.
02:31In 2025, she starred with Kiki Palmer in the comedy One of Them Days, which opened at number one at
02:37the box office.
02:39She also launched makeup brand Not Beauty and was appointed artistic director at Vans.
02:44Previous performing arts and entertainment inductees include Whitney Houston, Sarah Vaughn, Stevie Van Zandt, Susan Sarandon, and Southside Johnny Lyon.
02:56SZA now belongs to that group, as the New Jersey Hall of Fame formally places her Maplewood upbringing in the
03:01state's entertainment history.
