"Ctrl" is SZA's debut studio album, which dropped three years after the release of her EP, "Z." As to whether the album would drop was up for debate, if SZA's deleted tweet is taken into account (via Essence). The singer was going through a rough patch with her record label, Top Dawg Entertainment. When a concerned fan asked about the album, she responded, " I actually quit. @iamstillpunch can release my album if he ever feels like it. Ya'll be blessed."
Trouble at Top Dawg Entertainment didn't really last long. At an interview with Complex, conducted a while after her unsettling tweet, SZA let it be known that she was giving the project all she had. "Growing up as a woman, making tough decisions, and sticking by my own s**t is necessary ... I'm definitely committed to completing this and I think we'll take it from there."
On "Ctrl," SZA left it all on the table, giving her fans rawness, authenticity, and all the good earthy tones that come with supreme artistry. Every year, on the anniversary of the album's release, SZA uses the opportunity to "cry and reflect," as she explained to Vogue. "Ctrl" debuted at No. 3 on Billboard, and by 2018, it was certified platinum. For someone who took a chance and simply ran with it, the heights "Ctrl" transcended were unprecedented. "I never imagined I'd make it this far," SZA commented.
