SZA Honored With New Hal David Starlight Award

The Songwriters Hall of Fame will celebrate R&B singer-songwriter SZA with the Hal David Starlight Award.

Hosted on June 13 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City, this year’s Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards dinner will celebrate artists with outstanding achievements in songwriting. Among those honored at the award ceremony, SZA will receive the Hal David Starlight Award.

Named after legendary American lyricist Hal David, the award celebrates “gifted young songwriters who are making a significant impact in the music industry with their original songs.”

Upon receiving the accolade, the “Snooze” singer will become the second Black woman ever awarded the honor. She follows in the footsteps of the previous recipient Alicia Keys, who won the award back in 2005. 

Additionally, Diane Warren will also be presented with the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award at the ceremony. This is the second time two women will earn both honors, only preceded by Carole Bayer Sager and Halsey’s wins in 2019.

Furthermore, this year’s inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame include Hillary Lindsey, Timbaland, R.E.M, Dean Pitchford, and Steely Dan.

Regarding the choice to honor the “Kill Bill” singer, Songwriters Hall of Fame Chairman Nile Rodgers explained, “This is such an exciting time for songwriters and music. Phenomenal artists like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are pushing the envelope of what success looks like but who could argue that the last two years belong to SZA.” He continued, “Incredible songwriting, incredible performances, incredible artistry. She so deserves to be the 2024 recipient of the Hal David Starlight Award!”

Along with this exciting news, SZA recently announced her new album, Lana. Back in March, the vocalist shared that new music is coming. In addition to the new LP, the artist will release a deluxe version of her Grammy Award-winning record SOS.

Will be dropping the leaks and outtakes from SOS as promised as the deluxe asap. Lana deserves more time and music no one’s ever heard before seems fair . Bless

— SZA (@sza) March 27, 2024

So far, the singer put out a single titled “Saturn” for listeners to enjoy.

Fans can support SZA by streaming her music. They can also watch her debut performance of “Saturn” below.