SZA Tells Drew Barrymore Why She Named a ‘Ctrl’ Song After Her

On her fan-favorite Ctrl song “Drew Barrymore,” SZA sings about feeling insecure and lonely — but the track’s real-life namesake makes her feel the exact opposite.

While serving as a guest on The Drew Barrymore Show on Monday (Jan. 13), the R&B hitmaker got the chance to tell her muse face to face exactly why she used the actress’ famous name as the title for her song. “It was inspired by you, it wasn’t just the title,” SZA begins in a clip from the interview as the talk show host listens intently. “The energy you carry.”

“The carefree, the understanding,” continues the “Kill Bill” singer, joining hands with Barrymore. “I wrote you this letter that I never sent you, but it talked about how, when you’re younger, and you’re a black woman, there’s not a lot of examples all the time. One of the few lovely white women that I looked up to so much on television was you, because you were so yourself.”

“You were quirky,” SZA adds. “Your smile wasn’t perfect. I had a slight speech impediment … I love the way you talk and the you-ness of you. It just reminds me of all the things about myself that make me nervous, but on you, shine so brightly. It gave me permission to be myself.”

The four-time Grammy winner dropped debut album Ctrl in 2017, bowing at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. That June, she shared a music video for “Drew Barrymore” in which the Charlie’s Angels actress made a brief cameo, walking past SZA during a quiet moment of introspection and smiling at her reassuringly.

“We did the music video and I was just so excited to show up for you,” Barrymore recalled Monday, to which SZA remarked, “I couldn’t believe you did that.”

Eight years later, SZA is now fresh off of extending her reign at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with SOS, the deluxe version of which she dropped in December. The album has now spent a collective 12 weeks in the top spot, with the project first debuting at the chart’s summit upon its initial release in December 2022.

But the One of Them Days star has long been open about her love for Barrymore. In a 2017 interview with Billboard leading up to the release of Ctrl, SZA gushed, “She’s so casual. There’s nothing more beautiful than people who are comfortable and casual in their selves but also filled with energy and good vibes and bubbliness, and that’s her vibe. She’s chill, but she’s confident, but she’s shy. So when I wrote this song, I imagined different moments of seeing her.”

Watch SZA talk about “Drew Barrymore” on The Drew Barrymore Show above.