This article is about the album Ctrl. For its original concept, see A, an early EP formulation of the project.

This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors).

Ctrl (originally titled A; pronounced "Control") is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter SZA. It was released on June 9, 2017, through Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records. It features guest appearances from Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, James Fauntleroy, and Isaiah Rashad.

Initially set for release in late 2015, the album was delayed due to SZA’s struggles with anxiety, which she described as “a kind of blinding paralysis.” After extensive reworking, the album was finalized when her label took away her hard drive in the spring of 2017.

SZA wrote most of Ctrl's lyrics and worked with producers such as Craig Balmori, Frank Dukes, Carter Lang, Scum, and ThankGod4Cody to craft its sound. The album blends neo-soul and R&B with elements of hip-hop, pop, electronic, and indie. Lyrically, it explores confessional themes, touching on personal experiences, desire, jealousy, sexual politics, and self-esteem.

The album was supported by five singles: “Drew Barrymore”, “Love Galore”, “The Weekend”, “Broken Clocks”, and “Garden (Say It Like Dat)”, all certified Platinum or higher by the RIAA. Upon release, Ctrl received widespread critical acclaim for its cohesion, production, and SZA’s vocal performance. It debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 with 60,000 units, earned four Grammy nominations, and appeared on numerous year-end best-of lists. In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked it 472 on its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

A deluxe edition featuring seven additional tracks was released on June 9, 2022, marking the album’s five-year anniversary.

Background

SZA first connected with members of Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) during the 2011 CMJ Music Marathon, when a friend attending the show shared her early songs with TDE president Terrence "Punch" Henderson. Impressed by her sound, Henderson maintained contact.^[1] Two years later, in June 2013, TDE announced plans to sign two new artists; on July 14, it was revealed that SZA had officially joined the label. Through this deal, she released her debut EP Z in 2014.^[2]

Following Z, SZA began working on her debut studio album while also writing for other artists, including Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, and Rihanna (co-writing and featuring on "Consideration"), the opening track of Anti (2016). Her album faced repeated delays: initially promised by the end of 2015, then pushed to early 2016. In October 2016, SZA publicly expressed frustration with the holdup and stated she was considering quitting music.^[3]

In early interviews, SZA described the album as sonically similar to her previous project S (2013), incorporating trap influences and more aggressive lyrics. She also revealed that she had begun collaborating with producers such as James Fauntleroy, Hit-Boy, and longtime collaborator Felix Snow.^[4] Speaking on the conception of the album, SZA stated that she had spent four years just doing music: "I've been burying friends, burying family members, burying weight, the way I feel about myself, the way I feel about God, the way I process information."^[5] The album was also inspired by SZA's view of control in her life. Speaking on this she stated "Ctrl is a concept. I've lacked control my whole life and I think I've craved it my whole life."^[5]

The album was originally titled A, before being renamed Ctrl ahead of its release.

Writing and recording

The album's sessions began in 2014 and took place at the TDE Red Room in Carson, California. The album's recording process was described as being analog and featured the unplugging and re-plugging of wires in order to create the desired sound. During the album's studio sessions, SZA and the album's producers would go into the studio, and filter through the recorded songs and beats to decide if the songs were good or worth experimenting with in order to make better. SZA would search songs that were in the top forty charts during various years including the 1940s and 1980s, she would then listen to their style, beats and synths to gain some inspiration.^[6] Throughout the album's recording process, record producer Rick Rubin helped SZA's creative process. "I had this mentality that 'more is more' — more reverb, more background [vocals]," stating:^[7]

“

I played him a bunch of songs, and he would tell me, 'The more you take away from any piece, the more room you create for everything else to be beautiful and grow.' I never felt that before, the editing urge. Once you strip everything down, you're forced to say something.

”

In 2015, SZA was introduced to Carter Lang by Peter Cottontale in Chicago. After performing together at Lollapalooza that same year, SZA and Lang along with producer Tyron "Scum" Donaldson began to develop a rapport on the road to creating her debut album. The three held studio sessions across the country from Los Angeles to Chicago and even setting up shop in Carter's Michigan home in 2016, where they constructed the Travis Scott—assisted "Love Galore" in Lang's mom's office using studio equipment he brought there. Lang, Tyron Donaldson, ThankGod4Cody and other producers would challenge each other and send each other different music to work on. SZA would then listen the music and want to create from that. During the producers' competition of who could create the better song, they collectively created "Broken Clocks". "Drew Barrymore" was conceived at Lang's studio in Chicago in 2016. Lang ended up notching production credits on eight tracks from the album.^[8]

SZA contributed heavily to the album's lyrics, co-writing all fourteen tracks. SZA would freestyle the songs in a hope to "let the moments happen in the studio."^[9] Initially she tried to record phone notes and write down ideas in journals in order to help her write.^[10] SZA's record label TDE confiscated her hard drive during the album's recording, because SZA could not decide on the songs she wanted on the finished album, from the 150 – 200 she recorded. She also detailed how her anxiety issues affected her songwriting process:

“

I freestyle everything, all the way down. And I listen back and think, what’s shitty? And if something’s too shitty and I can’t put my finger on it, and I think, wow this sucks to me, then I get way frustrated, and usually scrap the song.

”

When recording the album, SZA would record from drafts of paper, recording one draft all the way down, before listening back and rephrasing it. However, with the album's opening track "Supermodel", SZA took on a different approach, stating,^[11]

“

Normally if I hear a beat, I hear an idea unfold. I see where it could go. But when I heard “Supermodel,” I couldn't even imagine what the song would sound like. I just wanted. I just wanted to sing. I wanted to think.

”

SZA recorded "Drew Barrymore" after hearing a production that reminded her of the film Poison Ivy, noting the emotion Ivy felt in film was something SZA connected with, stating her character was "lashing out because she was lonely and pissed that her life was like this".^[12]

"The Weekend" was produced by ThankGod4Cody who was given the idea to sample "Set the Mood (Prelude)/Until the End of Time" from a member of his team. After being handed the sample he added chords, a "glittery layer", and bass. After some experimentation with the vocals from the sample, the drums, and some additions in the reverb, he placed the song's snares and hi-hats, and rounded it all out with a cymbal, as he told Genius. The production was made with SZA in mind.^[13] SZA said about the sample in an interview with Associated Press,

“	I didn't even think about anything I was saying. I was just happy to be singing over that Justin Timberlake sample... I was just like, ‘This is for fun. This is crazy.	”
– Via Associated Press

Composition

Ctrl is a fourteen track set that departs from traditional R&B leanings. Ctrl's songs are predominantly alternative R&B, R&B and neo soul. The album tests the borders of traditional R&B, drawing influences from trap and indie rock. The album contains a precise sonic methodology, with a fluent production, containing influences from pop, hip-hop and electronic genres. These influences were compared to a mixture of different artists' work, including Sade, Lauryn Hill, Purity Ring, Yuki, Björk, Arca and Billie Holiday.^[5] The production was characterised as predominantly hip-hop-influenced with hints of soul and pop. The album has a confessional theme, which touch upon SZA's personal experiences of love. The album's lyrical content was seen as being "frank" and was noted as an insight into the complexities of modern love; of how desire, competition, jealousy, sexual politics, social media and low self-esteem can derail a relationship. Claire Lobenfeld of Pitchfork described the album's lyrics as being "honest" and "often comically blunt".^[14] SZA's vocals were noted for containing echoes that were achieved by turning down the reverb; this was done to give the album an "intimate, confessional tone".^[15]

The album opens with "Supermodel", which is built over an electric guitar riff, and reads as an "exposed diary entry" that lyrically talks about relationship betrayal and fallout. The song talks about SZA's ex-partner who left her on Valentine's Day.^[5][14] "Love Galore" is a trap-ballad that features American rapper Travis Scott. Speaking on their collaboration, SZA stated "I think he merges that super-fine line between melody and syncopation and pocket. And I love his pockets, and I love his note choice. He's just gnarly. He's perfect."^[16] "Doves in the Wind" features rapper Kendrick Lamar and is built over a "woozy" production. The song's themes revolves around sexual freedom, yet still having a hunger for intimacy. "Doves in the Wind" makes a reference to Forrest Gump, describing the character as the kind of man who sees women as more than sexual objects.

"Drew Barrymore" is a "sluggish" R&B song with introspective lyrics, whilst "Prom" is a pop song, that was noted for being built over muted guitars which were compared to those of the Police, whilst the lyrics discuss teen angst. "The Weekend", features writing from Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, and Danja, who were credited as the song samples "Set the Mood (Prelude)/Until the End of Time" from the 2006 album FutureSex/LoveSounds. "The Weekend" is an R&B and neo soul track. Although some publications call the song's narrator a "side chick", SZA sings from the perspective of a woman who only sees her partner on the weekend, while other girls have him during the week.^[14] "Go Gina" is a reference to Tisha Campbell's role of Gina on the '90s sitcom Martin. Lyrically, the song reflects on an environment that dislikes determined women, the song goes on to discuss how people try to simplify her problems in a self-serving way.^[17] "Broken Clocks" enfolds SZA amid blurry keyboard tones and a watery sample of men's voices as she ponders memories of an old romance that still haunts her." Joshua Espinoza of Complex regarded the song as "a mid-tempo cut about optimism and perseverance".^[18]

Release and promotion

SZA premiered "Drew Barrymore" on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. She also announced the title of her debut studio album, initially titled A, but was later renamed to Ctrl.^[19] On April 28, 2017, SZA announced she had signed her first major-label recording contract with RCA Records. Following the announcement of Ctrl, SZA releases a promotional video narrated by rapper RZA. RZA opened with a dialogue stating:^[20]

“

I’m zoning in with my homegirl, SZA—Self Savior, Zig-Zag-Zig Allah.

”

Followed by a short verse,

“

Yeah, I think you can take that far, Mama. Ya know what I mean? Cut loose the drama, no melodrama. Rise to the top, claim ya karma. And it’s my honor to drop this lesson, it’s my honor to give this blessing.

”

On June 2, 2017, "Broken Clocks" was released as a promotional single, before being sent to urban contemporary radio in January 2018, serving as the album's fourth single.^[21] On June 8, 2017, "Doves in the Wind" was released as a promotional single.^[22]

On July 5, 2017, SZA announced an official North American headlining concert tour titled Ctrl the Tour to further promote the album. The tour began on August 20, 2017, in Providence, Rhode Island, at Fête Music Hall, and concluded on December 22, 2017, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at The Fillmore Philadelphia.^[23] Despite there being no European leg of the tour, on July 10, 2017, American singer and rapper Bryson Tiller announced that SZA would be opening for the European portion of his Set It Off Tour in support of his studio album True to Self from October 17, 2017, to November 30, 2017, separate from Ctrl the Tour.^[24] Due to tickets for Ctrl the Tour quickly selling out, this prompted additional dates to be added. Due to health problems, the first three dates of the tour were rescheduled, causing the tour to begin on August 20 instead of August 16 as originally scheduled.^[25] On July 31, 2017, SZA released a music video for "Supermodel", exclusively on Apple Music.^[26]

On December 9, 2017, SZA appeared on Saturday Night Live making her the third artist from her label to appear on the program following Lamar and Rock. The performance received critical acclaim for its power and a new verse she added to her song "Love Galore" in the absence of Travis Scott.^[27]

To celebrate the five-year anniversary of Ctrl, SZA released a deluxe edition of the album on June 9, 2022, containing seven bonus tracks.^[28] These include "2AM", previously uploaded on SoundCloud in 2016 as a standalone single; a version of "Love Galore" without Scott's verse; and a leaked Tyler, the Creator–produced demo from 2016 titled "Jodie".^[29] All seven songs came from SZA's Ctrl sessions between 2014 and 2017.^[30]

Critical reception

Ctrl received widespread critical acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 86, based on 15 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". The Observer's Tara Joshi said the songs are "delicious slow jams with delicate yet powerful vocals and intimate insights into femininity, self-esteem and youth". Pitchfork's Claire Lobenfeld called the album "an opulent, raw R&B album that constantly tests the borders of the genre", and named "Prom" as one of the standout tracks. Siena Yates of The New Zealand Herald described it as "a brutally honest, sonically rich leap down the rabbit hole."^[31]

In his review of the album, The New York Times's Jon Pareles said of SZA: "But now, she fully commands the foreground of her songs. Her voice is upfront, recorded to sound natural and unaffected, with all its grain and conversational quirks." Vibe's Jessica McKinny said the album "has definitely kick-started her journey in the right direction. It's raw, soulful, rhythmic and uplifting in all the right places and will surely be a summer gift for old and new fans." She also referred to the album as "stripped down perfection".^[32] Gerrick D. Kennedy of Los Angeles Times called the album "equal parts aching, brazen and gorgeously honest" and said of the songs, "The records are tender, vulnerable and often defiant."^[33]

Ryan B. Patrick of Exclaim! referred to SZA as "the full package in terms of artistry: killer singing and songwriting abilities with a distinct perspective on life, love and destiny". He went on to say that Ctrl "is craft in action, a uniquely excellent album from a uniquely excellent artist." Paste's Nastia Voynovskaya called the album "strikingly relatable" and likened her vocals to that of Amy Winehouse and Billie Holiday. Jamie Milton of NME said it "effortlessly winds between narratives and genres like it's child's play" and went on to say that the artist "isn't a star in the making, it's a fully-fledged talent who's practically showing off." They also named "Prom" as the standout song of the album.^[34]

In July 2022, Rolling Stone ranked Ctrl at number 28 on its list of "100 Best Debut Albums of All Time", claiming that "she came out looking like a hero."^[35]

Commercial performance

Ctrl debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 60,000 album-equivalent units (including 20,000 copies as pure album sales) in its first week.^[5] This became SZA's first US top-ten debut.^[5] The album also accumulated 49.52 million streams for its songs that week.^[5] In its second week, the album dropped to #11 on the charts. In August 2022, the album was certified triple platinum by the RIAA for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over three million units in the United States. As of June 2023, the album has spent 311 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart, making it the second longest-charting R&B album by a woman, behind Anti by Rihanna, according to The New York Times.^[36]

Tour

Main Article: Ctrl The Tour

Ctrl the Tour was the first concert tour by American singer-songwriter, SZA, in support of her first studio album, Ctrl. The tour consisted of 55 live performances across the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Singles

The lead single of the album, "Drew Barrymore", was released on January 13, 2017, to digital download and streaming, with a music video for the single being released on June 21, 2017.

The second single, "Love Galore", featuring American rapper Travis Scott, was released on April 28, 2017, to digital download and streaming, with a music video for the single being released the following day. The single later impacted urban contemporary radio in the United States on August 1, 2017.

The third single, "The Weekend", was released on September 26, 2017, to urban contemporary radio in the United States, later impacting rhythmic contemporary radio in the same region on October 31, 2017. The single later impacted urban contemporary radio in the United Kingdom on December 1, 2017, with a music video for the single being released on December 22, 2017. A remix of the single produced by Calvin Harris subtitled the "Funk Wav Remix" was released on December 15, 2017, to digital download and streaming, and later impacted hot adult contemporary radio in the United Kingdom on January 6, 2018.

The fourth single, "Broken Clocks", was released on January 9, 2018, to urban contemporary radio in the United States, with a music video for the single being released on March 30, 2018.

The fifth single, "Garden (Say It Like Dat)", was released on June 19, 2018, to urban contemporary radio in the United States. A music video for the song was released on May 18, 2018, prior to the song's release as a single.

Promotional singles

The first promotional single of the album, "Broken Clocks", was released on June 2, 2017, to digital download and streaming, prior to the song's release as a single.

The second promotional single of the album, "Doves In The Wind", featuring American rapper Kendrick Lamar, was released on June 8, 2017, to digital download and streaming. A music video for the promotional single was later released on April 27, 2018.

Track listing

Standard edition
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Supermodel"	Carter Lang, Terrence Henderson Jr. , Greg Landfair, Tyran Donaldson Jr., Pharrell Williams & Solana Rowe	Scum	3:01
2.	"Love Galore" (featuring Travis Scott)	Punch, Lang, Cody Layne, Jacques Webster & Rowe	Lang, Scum, ThankGod4Cody	4:35
3.	"Doves In The Wind" (featuring Kendrick Lamar)	Kendrick Duckworth, James Yancey, Trevor Smith, John Bowman, Cameron Osteen, Dana Stinson, Reginald Noble & Rowe	Cam O'bi	4:26
4.	"Drew Barrymore"	Rowe, Donaldson, Henderson, Lang, Macie Stewart	Scum, Lang	3:51
5.	"Prom"	Rowe, Donaldson, Lang	Scum, Lang	3:16
6.	"The Weekend"	Rowe, Fayne, Justin Timberlake, Timothy Mosley, Nathaniel Hills	ThankGod4Cody	4:32
7.	"Go Gina"	Rowe, Donaldson, Lang, Adam Feeney	Frank Dukes, Scum, Lang	2:41
8.	"Garden (Say It Like Dat)"	Rowe, Daniel Tannenbaum, Craig Balmoris	Bekon, The Donuts, Balmoris	3:28
9.	"Broken Clocks"	Rowe, Fayne, Feeney, Ashton Simmonds, Thomas Paxton-Beesley	Frank Dukes, ThankGod4Cody	3:51
10.	"Anything"	Rowe, Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte, Peter Wilkins, Donaldson, Lang	Scum, Lang	2:29
11.	"Wavy (Interlude)" (featuring James Fauntleroy)	Rowe, James Fauntleroy, Fayne, Lukasz Plad	Prophit, ThankGod4Cody	1:15
12.	"Normal Girl"	Rowe, Henderson, Donaldson, Lang	Scum, Lang	4:13
13.	"Pretty Little Birds" (featuring Isaiah Rashad)	Rowe, Isaiah McClain, Donaldson, Lang, Josef Leimberg	Scum, Lang, Leimberg	4:05
14.	"20 Something"	Rowe, Donaldson, Lang	Scum, Lang	3:18

Deluxe edition
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
15.	"Love Galore (Alt Version)"	Rowe, Henderson, Donaldson, Fayne, Lang	ThankGod4Cody. Scum, Lang	4:33
16.	"2AM"	Rowe, Aubrey Graham, Jahron Brathwaite, Noah Shebib, Fayne	ThankGod4Cody	4:02
17.	"Miles"	Rowe, Donaldson	Scum	1:09
18.	"Percolator"	Rowe, Charlene Keys, Craig Brockman, Nisan Stewart	Scum, ThankGod4Cody	1:24
19.	"Tread Carefully"	Rowe, Fayne	ThankGod4Cody	3:02
20.	"Awkward"	Rowe, Michael Uzowuru	Uzowuru	2:58
21.	"Jodie"	Rowe, Tyler Okonma	Tyler, The Creator	2:45

Sample credits

• "Doves In The Wind" contains a sample of the recording "Let's Get Dirty (I Can't Get in da Club)", written by Reggie Noble, John Bowman and Dana Stinson and performed by Redman, and an interpolation from "Turn Me Up Some", written by Trevor Smith and James Yancey and performed by Busta Rhymes.
• "The Weekend" contains elements of "Set the Mood (Prelude)", written by Justin Timberlake, Timothy Mosley and Floyd Hills and performed by Justin Timberlake.
• "Broken Clocks" embodies portions of "West", written by Thomas Paxton-Beesley, Adam Feeney and Ashton Simmonds and performed by River Tiber featuring Daniel Caesar.
• "Anything" contains a sample of the recording "Spring Affair", written by Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte and Donna Summer and performed by Donna Summer.
• "Normal Girl" contains an interpolation of "Controlla" by Drake.
• "2AM" interpolates "Come and See Me" by PartyNextDoor and Drake.

Gallery

Booklet

Photoshoot

Behind the scenes

Release party

Personnel

Navigation

v • e
Album Cover(s)	Standard Deluxe Standard with Parental Advisory Standard Apple Music Artwork Deluxe Apple Music Artwork
General	Released: July 9, 2017 (Standard Edition) / July 9, 2022 (Deluxe Edition) Length: 49:01 (Standard Edition) / 68:58 (Deluxe Edition) Label: Top Dawg, RCA
Singles	"Drew Barrymore" January 13, 2017 "Love Galore (featuring Travis Scott)" April 28, 2017 "The Weekend" September 26, 2017 "Broken Clocks" January 9, 2018 "Garden (Say It Like Dat)" June 19, 2018
Promotional Singles	"Broken Clocks" June 2, 2017 "Doves In The Wind (featuring Kendrick Lamar)" June 8, 2017
Songs	Standard Edition 1. Supermodel • 2. Love Galore (featuring Travis Scott) • 3. Doves In The Wind (featuring Kendrick Lamar) • 4. Drew Barrymore • 5. Prom • 6. The Weekend • 7. Go Gina • 8. Garden (Say It Like Dat) • 9. Broken Clocks • 10. Anything • 11. Wavy (Interlude) • 12. Normal Girl • 13. Pretty Little Birds (featuring Isaiah Rashad) • 14. 20 Something Deluxe Edition 15. Love Galore (Alt Version) • 16. 2AM • 17. Miles • 18. Percolator • 19. Tread Carefully • 20. Awkward • 21. Jodie
Tours	Ctrl The Tour

References