SZA

The 27th Annual Webby Awards is honored to recognize SZA with the 2023 Webby Artist of the Year Award for the instant classic SOS,  the true intention and consideration she injects into her work, and for her ingenious use of the Internet to share unique, brilliantly honest art.

SZA is an undeniably quintessential force in music and on the Internet. Within just a few months of release, SOS dominated music charts and streaming, snagging the top spot on the Billboard 200 for 10 consecutive weeks, and inspired countless remixes and trends made by fans everywhere. Anything that SZA attaches herself to takes off online, like her Saturday Night Live performance of “Big Boys,” a novelty song that went viral on TikTok.

SZA’s body of work, which includes her acclaimed debut “CTRL,” only became more robust with SOS. Fan favorites “Kill Bill” and “I Hate U,” which first debuted on Soundcloud, cunningly chronicle the spite that comes with moving on, and “Good Days” artfully narrates the journey of returning back to the self. In her lyrics, she beautifully captures the heavy and nuanced emotions that come with growing up, being in your 20s, going through break-ups, living through weighty periods of sorrow, and ultimately reclaiming your worth. Moreover, SZA navigates the music industry her own way, from surprise-dropping three songs on an anonymous Soundcloud account, to defying expectations of what song structures make a hit. She is an artist that refuses to be put into a box, and her discography is an evident testament to her versatility. 

For her multidimensional, renowned, and poignant project, and use of the Internet to blaze artistic trails, it is our honor to recognize SZA with the 2023 Webby Artist of the Year Award.