SZA Defends Cher for Saying the Wrong Winner at the Grammy Awards

JAKARTA - Solána Imani Rowe, better known as SZA, gave a touching response regarding the incident of the wrong winner at the recent Grammy Awards.

As is known, Pop Music Goddess, Cher, who was in charge of reading the winner in the Record of the Year category, was mistaken by calling the late Luther Vandross as the winner, instead of announcing the song "Luther" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA.

Instead of feeling offended, SZA defended Cher. The 36-year-old solo artist judged that what Cher said was not an absolute mistake, but a strong connection of energy.

According to him, the song "Luther" indeed carries the spirit and frequency of the R&B legend who died in 2005, considering that their song samples Vandross's classic work with Cheryl Lynn in 1982, "If This World Were Mine".

"We share the frequency in the song. I mean, it's Luther's frequency that allows us to win and make this work something worth remembering," SZA said, quoted by Variety, Thursday, February 5.

"So, Cher is not entirely wrong. She is from that era - she probably really knew Luther Vandross personally," he continued.

Furthermore, the singer of "Kill Bill" saw it as reasonable if Cher's memory was immediately directed to Vandross's figure when listening to their music being played. Even SZA feels, the success he has achieved today is a legacy borrowed from the greatness of the past.

"Of course the brain and the energy connect that energy with what we share. We are like borrowing what Luther has given us before," he said. "So we are very grateful. I feel like I really want to be able to talk to him directly."

A similar sentiment also came from Kendrick Lamar, who revealed how emotional the moment was when he got official permission to use Luther Vandross's song sample.

For him, Vandross is one of the all-time favorite artists who have set high standards in the world of world music.

"This is the essence of music: Luther Vandross. It's very special to me. They gave us the privilege of making our version of 'If This World Were Mine'," said Lamar.

"When we got the use permit, I promise, we almost shed tears because we knew how much feeling Luther and Cheryl Lynn poured into the recording," the rapper concluded.