advertisement
Rb Hip Hop

SZA Calls Kendrick Lamar a ‘Wizard,’ Hints at ‘Insane’ Tour Plans

"Wizards tend to be solitary beings from my observation," SZA told Jimmy Kimmel.

SZA performs onstage at Spotify's Night of Music party during VidCon 2022 at Anaheim Convention Center on June 25, 2022 in Anaheim.

SZA performs onstage at Spotify's Night of Music party during VidCon 2022 at Anaheim Convention Center on June 25, 2022 in Anaheim.

Anna Webber/Getty Images

SZA stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday night (March 12) and spilled details about her upcoming Grand National Tour with Kendrick Lamar, her excitement for Sesame Street, and dodged a cheeky question about Drake.

When Kimmel asked if the Grand National Tour would resemble their Super Bowl LVIII halftime performance, the “Saturn” singer teased that fans can expect something entirely new.


“Oh, we’re doing a new thing,” she said. “We’re both just kind of throwing all the paint at the wall… This is our first stadium show for both of us, so we pretty much have to go insane.”

advertisement

While SZA and Lamar might be co-headlining, she hinted that the Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers rapper is very much in his own lane.

“Well, he’s a wizard, so that’s different,” she quipped when asked if they hang out behind the scenes. “Wizards tend to be solitary beings, from my observation… I think he’s doing the Merlin thing backstage, getting us ready to take off.”

The “Kill Bill” singer also fielded a not-so-subtle question from Kimmel about the tour’s upcoming Toronto stop—where one particular rapper famously resides.

“But what if you-know-who shows up?” Kimmel asked, clearly alluding to Canadian rapper, Drake.

SZA simply shrugged: “Who knows? Who knows?” before Kimmel joked that Kendrick would “wave his wand, and he will disappear.”

“That’s why he’s the man behind the curtain,” she replied.

Beyond the tour, SZA also gushed to Kimmel about a lifelong dream coming true—appearing on Sesame Street.

“That was actually the most intense room of celebrities I’ve ever been in,” she joked. “Elmo, Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch… I got to talk to Cookie Monster.”

When Kimmel asked about the blue monster’s conversational skills, she laughed: “Terrible diction and alliteration. Very poor vocabulary, but tons of enthusiasm, I was so inspired!”

advertisement

“It was like a true indicator that I’ve made it,” SZA added of her appearance on the show. “Shout out to the Super Bowl but Sesame Street..”

The Grand National Tour kicks off April 19 in Minneapolis, with stops across North America before heading overseas.

This article first appeared on Billboard U.S.

advertisement
Mustafa
Joseph Marshall
Mustafa
Awards

Mustafa, Nemahsis, Saya Gray and More Nominated on Polaris Music Prize 2025 Short List

The winner of the award for Canadian album of the year will win $30,000 at the Massey Hall gala on September 16. Here's who made the list.

The Polaris Music Prize has unveiled the 10 albums on this year's short list. The list was voted on by a large pool of music critics, journalists and curators, to find the best Canadian album of the year based solely on artistic merit.

The $30,000 winner will be chosen by an 11-member grand jury and revealed at the Polaris concert and award ceremony at Massey Hall on September 16. That ceremony will also reveal the winner of the brand new SOCAN Polaris Song Prize as well as the Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize winners.

keep readingShow less
advertisement