The Grammy-winning R&B singer SZA, took a very emotional moment on The Drew Barrymore Show and shared with viewers the really touching story behind her 2017 hit song “Drew Barrymore“, which in fact wasn’t just dedicated to the much-adored actress. The single has been included in SZA’s critically acclaimed album Ctrl, with Barrymore’s peculiar energy being the direct influence that sincerely resonated deeply into SZA’s life.
The talk between the two females was so candid, emotional, full of mutual respect and praise that shed light upon how art, life experiences, and cultural icons can be intertwined.
SZA initiated her explanation with how Drew Barrymore’s free-spirited nature, kooky energy, and imperfect smile had related to her all through her growing up. “It wasn’t just named after you,” said SZA during the interview. “The energy you carry-even my outfit is inspired by the way you’ve made me feel my entire life, like, carefree.”
Growing up, SZA struggled to find representation as a Black woman within the mainstream media.
But Barrymore, at the time, was among those few white women SZA could look up to, the beacon of all things individualistic and relatable. “When you’re younger and you’re a Black woman, there’s not a lot of examples all the time,” SZA shared. “And one of the few lovely white women that I looked up to so much on television was you-because you were so yourself.” Barrymore’s iconic roles in films like Never Been Kissed really spoke to SZA, who could relate to feelings of being an outsider at school. Seeing Barrymore’s characters accept their flaws gave SZA the confidence to do the same in her own life.
SZA added, more personally, that she had once written a sensitive letter to Drew Barrymore, among others, that she never sent.
The letter praised Barrymore for being unapologetically herself. SZA said she was insecure about parts of herself, like her stutter.
“I have a slight speech impediment, and people laugh all the time, like, ‘What is SZA saying?’ But I love the way you talk and just all the you-ness of you-your laugh, even in the movies and in real life,” SZA said.
The authenticity of Barrymore helped SZA easily get into her uniqueness and feel so “cool.” “You gave me permission to be myself and feel like, ‘This is so cool, ‘” SZA said tearfully.
Such a deep connection SZA and Barrymore have, as even in the music video for “Drew Barrymore,” directed by Dave Meyers, there was a cameo of the actress herself-a pure meaning of the connection. During the show, Barrymore recollected, mentioning that she did not exactly have an understanding of such depth in the song at that time.
“Maybe it’s humble insecurity or whatever-even though we had that talk in the trailer that night, I think I always still convinced myself, ‘It was just words that she used for song, and the words were my name,'” Barrymore said. Barrymore talked about how, in the most human of elements, the need to accept oneself fully speaks to all people. “We look for permission just to be who we are. We’re longing for someone to tell us that it’ll be okay; we can truly be ourselves”. Her words joined the song on its message, self-acceptance, being an individual, and echoed the reasons today why the people of the globe love this hit.
It was not just the exchange of compliments between SZA and Drew Barrymore; it was testimony that art can transcend every boundary and make people connect even between generations. The weird, imperfect charm of Barrymore urged SZA to write a song in the way it now inspired scores of her fans to find themselves.