SZA was named Woman of the Year at the Billboard Woman of the Year Awards Wednesday night in LA. In her speech, she spoke about wanting to serve others and being open to what the universe wants.
“I think sometimes there’s a misconception where everybody always feels like … I have a lot of confidence,” she told the audience, adding, “I used to feel like I didn’t belong because I don’t always feel like that.”
“But I realized that the key is to stay open and available for whatever the universe or God wants to do with your life,” she continued.
She added, “I really just want my life to be more than music, to be more than just an artist. I want to serve others.” She said she wants to say “yes to everything that’s scary, to everything that feels like it’s not for you or where you don’t belong.”
She concluded, “I want to encourage everybody to continue to be inspired and just stay available. You don’t have to be confident or even know that you are the one … you just have to say yes to the possibility … thank you all for saying yes to me.”
Kim Petras performed her latest single, “brrr,” and was honored with the Chartbreaker Award. In her speech, she thanked Billboard for “inviting her into this room,” adding, “Growing up I would always kinda question what rooms I would be put into … I’m just really grateful it’s this one.”
As the first openly transgender woman to be honored at the event, she drew applause by saying, “People should be able to decide what to do with their bodies, to reach true equality — it’s very important.”
Olivia Rodrigo presented Lana Del Rey with the Visionary Award; other honorees included Latto, Becky G, Rosalía and TWICE.
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