SZA Inducted Into New Jersey Hall of Fame by Danny DeVito

The Induction Ceremony and Local Roots

Although born in St. Louis, Missouri, SZA was raised in Maplewood, New Jersey, and graduated from Columbia High School. During the ceremony, DeVito—who was himself inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010—formally presented the award to the singer.

Accepting the honor, SZA delivered an earnest speech reflecting on her upbringing in the state’s suburbs and her early jobs working at local establishments ranging from a pizza parlor to a shoe store. “This is probably one of the biggest honors I’ve ever had,” she said. “I come from a small town where everybody knows each other’s first and last name… I just love community, and I promise to take that energy of community around the world wherever I go.”

She also used her platform to advocate for the cultural footprint of her home state, pushing back against the tendency for travelers to bypass the region. “Sometimes people [skip] over Jersey and go straight to New York,” SZA stated. “But they’re missing the meat. They’re missing the heartbeat of the tri-state.” Additionally, she shouted out fellow Columbia High School alumna Lauryn Hill during her remarks.

Following the event, the singer shared a lighthearted post on Instagram celebrating both her formal recognition and her encounter with the host: “Got inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. MORE IMPORTANTLY I MET DANNY DEVITO.”

Class of 2026 and Elite Roster

SZA joins the New Jersey Hall of Fame’s 2026 class alongside other notable figures across entertainment, public service, and sports, including former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman, former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence “LT” Taylor, radio personality Big Joe Henry, and fellow music category inductees David Brigati, Edward Brigati Jr., and the late Dino Danelli.

The singer takes her place among a distinguished roster of prior New Jersey inductees that includes Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra, Queen Latifah, the Jonas Brothers, Wyclef Jean, the Isley Brothers, and Toni Morrison.

Record-Breaking Career Milestones

The state induction follows a string of historic commercial and critical achievements for the artist, who has amassed more than 70 billion career streams. Her breakthrough 2017 debut album, Ctrl, reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200, earned a 6x Platinum certification from the RIAA, and featured the diamond-certified single “Love Galore” with Travis Scott. According to Hall of Fame background materials, Ctrl also holds the distinction of being the first album by a female artist to stay on the Billboard 200 for 460 consecutive weeks.

Her 2022 follow-up, SOS, debuted at No. 1 and dominated the charts for 13 nonconsecutive weeks, later receiving an 8x Platinum certification. Its 2024 deluxe expansion, SOS Deluxe: LANA, also debuted at No. 1. The project generated RIAA diamond-certified hits like “Kill Bill” and “Snooze,” while breaking records as the first album by a female artist to spend 100 weeks in the Billboard 200’s Top 10, ultimately surpassing Michael Jackson’s Thriller for the longest Top 10 stay by a Black artist in the chart’s history.