As far as Rock artists go, the unending criticism and torment that bands like Nickelback and Creed have historically been subjected to by fans within their own genre has left plenty of folks scratching their heads -- including R&B sweetheart SZA.
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Speaking with Variety after being named the publication's 2023 Hitmaker of the Year, SZA was asked about some of her musical inspirations -- and dropped a couple of unlikely artists into the mix.
"The other day, you know what I pulled up?" SZA prefaced. "Creed, Nickelback, Train ‘Drops of Jupiter,’ just a whole bunch of that,” she admitted, which led to spontaneous laughter in the room. "I know, I know," she continued before asking, "Wait, you know what’s crazy? Do white people hate Creed and Nickelback?"
"Black people love them! They rock! That s*** is bomb! Why do you all hate it so much?" she added. Obviously drawn in as many fans are to the spiritual and motivational lyrical content that can be found within her favorite's discography, SZA says, "I like Creed so much — ‘Higher’? Why are you hating on it? Have you ever felt more inspired and uplifted in your life? I’m in the car and I’m blasting ‘Higher,’ I feel like it’s a gospel song, the vocals are going crazy and it’s also somehow slightly romantic, it just feels so fun. Because even if it’s cliche, he’s so f***ing dead a**!"
Finally, SZA proclaims: "I will be a Creed fan forever. Like, it started just on a whim in the shower, ‘Oh, let’s play this,’ and then it became a week of Creed and Nickelback."
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It's been an incredible year for SZA, with her second album SOS topping the Billboard 200 chart for eight weeks, making it the longest-reigning #1 by a female artist, also landing the singer on Audacy's 2023 Most Played Artists and 2023 Most Played Songs year-end lists.
As for Nickelback, the Canadian rockers just finished up a North American tour and are headed overseas in the new year. Creed is also ready to hit the road on their recently announced Summer of '99 Tour set to kick off in the summer of 2024.
Lastly, Train will be performing this month at a number of Audacy concerts: Mix 96.5 in Houston's 'Deck The Hall Ball' on December 7, 99.1 The Mix in Milwaukee's 'Deck The Hall Ball' on December 8, and Y98 in St. Louis' 'Deck The Hall Ball' on December 9. Tickets are on sale now.
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