For SZA, being inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame was a family affair.
The Grammy-winning Maplewood native’s parents, Audrey and Abdul Mubarak-Rowe, took the stage on Thursday night to celebrate their daughter’s journey from New Jersey to global stardom.
“People would ask, ‘Did you know that your daughter would be a star?’” SZA’s mother, Audrey, told the crowd. “She did. But I wasn’t certain what it would be.”
Her father, Abdul, recalled the emotional experience of first hearing his daughter’s debut album, Ctrl. “Every time I listened to it, I was brought to tears. Her words were just that profound and penetrating, to the point where I felt I was being reintroduced to you for the first time.”
The Asbury Park All Stars welcomed SZA (born Solána Imani Rowe) to the stage with “You Are So Beautiful”. Once at the microphone, she made her feelings about her home state clear.
The Best Things to Do in NJ
Sign up for the Weekend Buzz newsletter to fill up your social calendar with can’t-miss events, festivals, concerts and more fun things to do every week.
“I just want to say, I love Jersey, every corner of Jersey,” the 36-year-old singer said.
A proud alumna of Columbia High School and Maplewood Middle School, SZA recalled working at Village Trattoria in Mapelwood and Magic Fit Sneakers in Irvington before her music career took off. She also reflected on the distinctly New Jersey mix of people and experiences that surrounded her growing up.
“I love the nature, the culture, the richness in experience,” she says recalling everything from growing up next to Italian-Irish neighbors, to attending bar and bat mitzvas, and getting ribs in Newark’s Ironbound, Portuegese-style.
Those who overlook New Jersey, she jokes, are “missing the energy, the heartbeat of the tri-state.”
“So I am honored,” she said. “This is probably one of the biggest honors I’ve ever had.”
She also credited the generations of Garden State talent, particularly fellow Columbia High School graduates like Lauryn Hill and Elisabeth Shue, who came before her. “I’m just a culmination of those people,” she says.
The 18th annual induction ceremony celebrated New Jersyans whose contributions across arts, education, research, engineering, science, performing arts, entertainment, enterprise, public service, and sports have reached far beyond the Garden State.
At Thursday’s event, SZA was joined by fellow inductees including former Governor Christine Todd Whitman, musician Eddie Brigati of the Young Rascals, radio personality Big Joe Henry, and business leader Christopher J. Paladino.
The ceremony took place at the newly completed Dream Live Performing Arts Center at American Dream in East Rutherford, with Asbury Park’s own Danny DeVito returning as host for the fifth consecutive year. American Dream is also home to the NJHOF Entertainment and Learning Center, an interactive museum dedicated to celebrating the lives and accomplishments of notable New Jerseyans.
