SZA’s SOS Deluxe: LANA continues the record-breaking legacy of SOS, her 2022 album that topped charts and became one of the most successful R&B releases of all time. Released on December 20, 2024, LANA transforms what could have been a standard deluxe edition into a full-scale artistic statement. Expanding the project to 38 tracks with fifteen new songs, LANA offers a deeper, more expansive take on the vulnerability and confidence that made SOS a cultural phenomenon.
I worked as an assistant project manager on this rollout, keeping deliverables on schedule and assets on time while supporting strategy where needed.
SZA began discussing LANA as early as 2022, hinting at the project in interviews and through snippets of unreleased music online. In September 2023, during a free concert at Brooklyn Navy Yard, she officially announced the album’s title and performed three new songs for the crowd. These early reveals set the stage for over a year of anticipation, building momentum for LANA’s release in December 2024.
Built Anticipation 👷🏾♀️
Branded the Bug 🐜
The vision for LANA began to take shape through SZA’s use of bug and nature imagery. Most memorably, during her Hot Ones appearance, she wore a bug mask while eating spicy wings, hinting at the theme to come. When the album was officially announced, she unveiled a forest-themed visual trailer, and her website was rebranded as an interactive ant colony, further tying the rollout to the album’s nature-driven aesthetic.
Ben Stiller 🫱🏻🫲🏽 SZA
SZA’s appreciation for the series Severance made way for a notable crossover during the rollout of LANA. Following an exchange on Twitter, director Ben Stiller appeared in a music video teaser that was later revealed to be “Drive,” the album’s focus track. The unexpected pairing made way for new audiences to engage with SZA’s campaign.
In November 2024, Kendrick released GNX , featuring two tracks with SZA, his former labelmate and long-time collaborator. Just weeks later, they announced a joint stadium tour set to start the following spring. In January 2025, only a month after the release of LANA, SZA’s momentum continued as she was announced as a guest performer at the Super Bowl. The collaborations with Kendrick felt like a symbolic passing of the baton and helped to amplify SZA’s visibility and overall album rollout.
Family Ties 🧑🧑🧒
Similar to the SOS release, SZA released her album in the month of December, when traditionally, fewer albums are released. This served as a call back to the reease date for SOS and gave fans time to digest the music over holidays. Similar to the rollout of SOS, SZA released LANA in December, when traditionally fewer albums are released. The timing served as a callback to the release date of SOS, creating a sense of continuity between the two eras. By echoing this strategy, SZA reinforced the connection between the projects while giving fans space to digest the new music over the holiday season.
Holiday Release 🎁
