SZA Previews New Song “Storytime” & Teases New Album at BST Hyde Park in London

Joseph Okpako

This past weekend has been more than eventful for SZA — not only did the singer headline BST Hyde Park in London and Glastonbury back to back, but she also announced a new album is headed our way soon.

As soon as the stage was being set for SZA’s headlining performance at BST Hyde Park on June 29, 2024, things appeared different. Since wrapping up her SOS Tour in May 2024 with stops in New Zealand and Australia, the singer has adapted the show for festival settings, performing at Gazebo Festival, Primavera Sound Barcelona, We Love Green, Governors Ball, and many more around the world since.

Related: SZA Got “Kirituhi” Tattoos to Honor Her Family While in New Zealand

For all the aforementioned stops, SZA’s set featured scaffolding meant to resemble a boat. However, all the nautical references disappeared for BST Hyde Park, teasing a new era that she’d continue at the iconic Pyramid stage of Glastonbury. In its place were nature references galore and plenty of bug motifs, including a giant ant that SZA used as a prop to perform on. The set was described as SZA's own “cavernous botanical paradise.”

In case there were any doubts that her headlining performance at BST Hyde Park was ushering in a new era, SZA made sure to give us a more explicit tease mid-performance, screaming, “New album, you ready?”

She also teased a snippet of an unreleased track called “Storytime” during her set and made things official on Instagram by posting a teaser of her forthcoming album featuring the song and mimicking her new set’s aesthetics, ending with a closeup of SZA herself transformed into a bug. (The singer had previously teased this transformation by sharing behind-the-scenes pictures on her Instagram, and the look was also part of official TDE SZA merch sold on the grounds at BST.)

Fans believe all the teasers are in reference to Lana, which the singer had previously announced as her next album. At first, the project was expected to be the deluxe edition of her critically acclaimed 2022 album SOS. However, SZA later announced Lana would be its own project. There have been plenty of teasers for the project to date, but her BST performance is the first time the singer has referenced a “new album” explicitly in a while.

With the new set design fully in rotation, SZA is expected to take to the stage at Lollapalooza Chicago on August 2, 2024, next, and we will be keeping our eyes peeled for more hints and announcements then.

Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue

Want more great Culture stories from Teen Vogue? Check these out:

• A New Generation of Pretty Little Liars Takes on the Horrors of Being a Teenage Girl

• Who Is Rihanna, Really?

• Jennette McCurdy Is Finally Able to Grieve

• Underneath Chappell Roan’s Hannah Montana Wig? A Pop Star for the Ages

• Donald Glover’s Swarm Is Another Piece of Fandom Media That Dehumanizes Black Women

• On Velma, Mindy Kaling, and Whether Brown Girls Can Ever Like Ourselves on TV

• The Next Generation of Female Rap Lives on TikTok

• Gaten Matarazzo Talks Spoilers, Dustin Henderson, and Growing Up on Stranger Things

• How K-pop Stars Are Leading Mental Health Conversations for AAPI People and Beyond

• Meet the Collective of Philly TikTokers Making You Shake Your Hips

• The Midnight Club Star Ruth Codd Isn’t Defined By Her Disability