SZA Turned Down James Corden’s ‘Carpool Karaoke’ Because She Was ‘Scared’

Thanks to the gargantuan success of SZA’s new album SOS, the New Jersey singer has been everywhere lately, including the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 for 10 weeks. Despite not believing that fans would enjoy the album as much as they clearly are, SZA has embraced the attention this time around — which could mean we’ll see her in new places she avoided before.

One of those new places we might be seeing SZA is on James Corden’s popular series, Carpool Karaoke. In a new interview with Alternative Press magazine, SZA explained why she turned the show down the first time around, as well as why she might take a different route if she’s asked again. She says she rejected the prior offer to appear on the show because she was “scared of being on camera, looking bad, sounding bad and being perceived.”

However, she’s since come to terms with all of the above, saying, “I really have to remind myself this is my moment in the sun, and I have to take every opportunity because this sh*t may never happen again.”

She isn’t wrong; Corden’s late-night show, The Late Late Show, will end after nearly 30 years when the host leaves this year. Meanwhile, the fifth season of Carpool Karaoke has returned to Apple+ with guests Chelsea Clinton, Duran Duran, Method Man, and Russell and Ciara Wilson.

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