Dazed Faves is the series where we talk all things online – that surreal meme account you’re obsessed with, weird conspiracy theory subreddits, ASMR YouTubes or slime Instagrams.

SZA may have a name that’s tough for even her fans to pronounce, but that didn’t stop her from making huge waves with her 2017 debut album Ctrl. Released on TDE, home of Kendrick Lamar and ScHoolboy Q, the record is a forward-thinking R&B masterpiece for anyone who’s tired of making themselves emotionally vulnerable for no-good men. As well as Kendrick, SZA received support on the record from Solange – who directed “The Weekend” for her – and IRL Drew Barrymore, who stars in the video for the song of the same name.

As for the fast-approaching Grammys, SZA is remaining positive, and rightfully so with five nominations to her name (Best New Artist and Best R&B Song among them). “It’s definitely like a true fairytale situation,” she told us. “I’ve basically been trying to keep any like negative language or fearful language out of my vocabulary, so I’m just excited and I’m grateful for the opportunity”. 

On top of all that, the singer-songwriter has today been announced as one of the faces of GAP’s new Logo Remix campaign. Starring alongside producer Metro Boomin, Maya Jama, and YouTuber Connor Franta, the collection features reworked classic looks from the archive. The accompanying video for the collection shows off SZA’s fun side, literally schooling the rest of the class while she dougies in a hoodie with mashed-up panels of different styles.

When SZA isn’t snatching Grammys or hanging out with Solange, Kendrick Lamar, and Drew Barrymore, she is just like the rest of us, chilling out with her French bulldog and falling into random Internet holes. Here, for our Faves series, we talk to her about bugs, hair braiding, kangaroos and that meme on how to (in)correctly pronounce her name.

FAVE YOUTUBE CHANNEL: INSECTHAUSTV

SZA: So, I’ve always been into nature, always been into categorising shit. I was always into outside. Like always trying to categorise leaves and rocks and shit. Bugs though, that’s a new comfort. Because I think once I got older, something about bugs became less like cool and more like ‘You gon’ crawl under my skin and lay eggs and Imma die’. I watched one special where this lady got stuck in the Amazon on Animal Planet, and this bug laid eggs under her fucking arm. It was crazy. And then that show Monsters Inside Me on Animal Planet. It’s about like small bacteria. It’s about small bacteria and really tiny bugs and they go inside inside your body through a particular orifice and just ruin your life. So that show scared the shit out of me, but now I’m really into bugs. They have a purpose, I totally understand that. And they’re beautiful.

My favourite bug page, his name is Insecthaus_Adi. He’s the largest exotic bug dealer in Germany. In Europe, actually. His posts are like art. It looks like fashion. He actually ended up doing a collaboration with Gucci, randomly. But I had been following him for so long before then, but everything is so beautiful and super cinematic. Once you follow him, it shows you mad other people who are like that, and then now you’re just in this world of bugs and art.

FAVE MEMES: STARTER PACKS

SZA: I love a good starter pack, that just like drags me. Or that just airs me out. Those are my favourite memes, and they always find me. Somehow my explore page knows how to drag me like no one else. 

That one (when your mum is coming home and you haven’t defrosted the chicken) was always me! I didn’t know other people were trying to defrost a chicken. I thought I was just like a lazy bitch, and I didn’t respect my parents. But, low-key everybody is... 

I also love those Deep Fried memes that make no fucking sense.

FAVE VINE: SZA PRONUNCIATION

SZA: Oh my god, I was like, ‘anything that helps them’. I know my name is hella difficult and kind of annoying.  I don’t know why. I need more letters. It’s like, is it like a magic trick? Or just one long word like ‘ZAAAA’? (Fans) just don’t even know how to say it, and I feel so bad because they’ll be the sweetest girls and all of them are like ‘your name!’ I hear the ‘S’ and I’m just like, yes. Don’t even worry. If I hear the ‘S’, it’s fine. 

FAVE INSTAGRAM: THEKANGAROOSANCTUARY

SZA: I have a French Bulldog and she’s being really cute right now. She’s just dragging her butt on the grass. I haven’t seen her in so long. It looks so cute. I watch baby animal videos all the time. I love this shit, this like one page called Kangaroo Sanctuary. They hug you like babies! They have a new orphan that can’t even come out of the pouch yet. He just sits in the pouch all day and watches TV. It’s so cute! I wanna be in a pouch.

FAVE TUMBLR: BRAIDING/HAIR TUTORIALS 

SZA: Tumblr used to be my shit. It’s such a crazy place. Tumblr is hella chaotic, lowkey. I don’t know any Tumblrs anymore, now it’s so weird. Before, when I was scouring the Internet, I used to just absorb anything. Now I’m super specific. I wanna look at bugs, or I’ll just get into this hair black hole. That is a funny one. You just start looking at hair online, and then next thing you know you’re on some random dude in Detroit’s hair salon, like, watching him, and it’s just beautiful. 

I don’t know why it’s so soothing. I love to watch people do hair. Like I love to watch people braid – braiding videos are fire. I love to watch people lay edges, I love to watch people put on wigs, I love to watch people do weird like washing stuff? So like, comb conditioner through their hair, grease their scalp. That sounds so weird, I sound so strange. But also, it’s super soothing to watch other people play with their hair.