Kendrick Lamar’s label mate SZA proved that she can move a crowd without help from her lyrical brothers from Top Dawg Entertainment. SZA (pronounced Sizza, like RZA) was one of the first acts to perform at the 2014 Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago.
With her sultry voice and melodic production, SZA performed songs from her latest EP Z. Somewhat reminiscent of a young Erykah Badu, SZA has a way of using thought-provoking lyrics to express her search for love and understanding of life’s complex relationships.
On “Julia,” she sung, “Dying my daydreams in your bedroom, waiting so long, said you’d be here soon, how could you forget that I’m the one who forgot all your mistakes, and dirty drawers.”
SZA’s set was the anti-thesis of the beach ball throwing, drunken crowd chaos that is the norm at most summer music festivals. She calmed an attentive crowd and caused them to remain fixated on her words as if she was reading poetry at a coffee house. SZA set the mood and made sure that the crowd followed.
Click continue to view images of SZA’s performance at the Pitchfork Music Festival.
