A is the scrapped fourth extended play (EP) by American singer-songwriter SZA. The EP was going to be the third and final installment of the SZA trilogy.
Background
SZA first met members of Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) at the CMJ Music Marathon in 2011, when her boyfriend’s clothing company sponsored a showcase featuring Kendrick Lamar. A friend who attended the event with her shared some of SZA’s early recordings with TDE president Terrence "Punch" Henderson, who was impressed by the material and maintained contact with her. On October 29, 2012, SZA released her debut self-released extended play, See.SZA.Run, which featured production from brandUn DeShay, APSuperProducer, and others.
In June 2013, TDE announced plans to expand its roster, and on July 14, it was officially revealed that SZA had signed with the label. Although she initially intended to release another EP, she ultimately chose to create a full-length album, stating that she felt she "owed people more".
According to SZA, the project titled A was centered around the themes of "revenge, rebirth, [and] Adderall." This suggests that many of the songs that eventually appeared on Ctrl may have been originally conceived for A.
Planned release
SZA has stated that A is "not far" and even "already finished," although the project has yet to be officially released to the public.[1][2]
At one point, she teased plans to release a “little project” ahead of her sophomore album,[3] which led many to speculate that she was referring to A.[4] When asked directly about the release, SZA revealed her intention to drop A simultaneously with her sophomore effort. However, the project remains unreleased, and no further updates have been provided, leaving its status somewhat ambiguous.