SZA’s Manager Pulled Her VMA Performance After She Was Snubbed For Artist Of The Year

SZA’s manager feels that the VMAs got it wrong, failing to include the singer in its Artist of the Year category.

The star was nominated in several Video Music Awards categories, winning Best R&B Song for “Shirt.” However, she was snubbed for Album of the Year and was not nominated at all for the night’s top award, Artist of the Year. According to her manager, Terrence “Punch” Henderson, this is a slap in the face to SZA, whose “SOS” album is now triple platinum after its December 2022 release.

“I don’t see why she wouldn’t be nominated for Artist of the Year. It just really didn’t make any sense to me. It’s disrespectful,” SZA’s manager, Terrence “Punch” Henderson, expressed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in an interview. 

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Punch says he spoke with MTV directly about SZA not being nominated for Artist of the Year, but they never gave a “clear answer” as to why she was not placed in the category, which Taylor Swift ultimately won. The Top Dawg Entertainment co-president questioned how some of the Artist of the Year nominees made the cut when they haven’t released projects recently. As a result, Punch made the decision to pull SZA’s performance. She was noticeably absent from the ceremony. 

Among SZA’s accomplishments this year is the ten weeks “SOS” has spent at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Her single “Snooze” is also in its eighth week at No. 1 on the Billboard R&B charts and is currently at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

SZA thanked MTV for her award on Instagram but has not commented on the conversation regarding being snubbed by the VMAs.