"He put me onto the biggest moment of my life" — SZA gets emotional as she hugs Kendrick Lamar on the last stop of Grand National Tour's US run

SZA expressed her gratitude towards Kendrick Lamar and her fans as the duo closed the North American leg of their ongoing Grand National Tour in Northwest Stadium in Landover on June 18, 2025. The tour began in Minneapolis on April 19, and the duo is subsequently scheduled to perform across Australia, and Europe, including the UK.

During the tour's last US stop, SZA took a moment to address the fans, praising her co-headliner Kendrick Lamar for putting her onto what she described as "one of the biggest moments of [her] life."

"He put me onto the biggest moment of my life. This is also the biggest moment of my life… I’m so thankful, and I’m so thankful to y’all,” she said.

A clip of the moment, which was shared across social media, showed the R&B singer getting emotional towards the end. Lamar, who is also seen on the stage with her, walks up to her and gives her a hug before asking the crowd to cheer for her.

SZA and Kendrick Lamar have frequently collaborated over the years. They were signed to the same label, Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), before Lamar parted ways in 2022.

SZA, whose real name is Solána Imani Rowe, was reportedly discovered by TDE's president during a Kendrick Lamar event in Brooklyn in 2011. She signed with TDE in 2013 and became the company's first female artist. SZA and Lamar's first collaboration was in the former's song Babylon, from her debut album, Z, in 2014.

They have since worked together on various songs, including the Oscar-nominated All the Stars from the Black Panther movie soundtrack. Their most recent collaborations include Luther and Gloria in Lamar's GNX album, and 30 for 30 in SZA's SOS Deluxe: Lana album.

They have also performed together on stage multiple times, including at Coachella in 2018 and the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show.

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SZA admitted to feeling anxious ahead of the Grand National Tour

While in conversation with fellow singer Chappell Roan for an Interview Magazine cover story dated June 17, SZA admitted that she felt anxious ahead of embarking on the record-breaking Grand National Tour. She revealed that she suffered from anxiety and would have "full-on panic attacks" every time she had to perform or walk the red carpet.

She added that those concerns continued to follow her ahead of the tour, which led to her worrying if fans would attend solely for Kendrick Lamar.

“Every time I had to go on stage, every time I had to get on a carpet, I’d have full-on panic attacks. I used to not show up to something because it was like, ‘I’m never going to win. No one cares that I’m here. Why would I go?' Same thing with the Kendrick tour. 'Everybody’s going to see Kendrick,'” she said.

In the interview, the Kill Bill singer stated that she had better control over her anxiety at the time, adding that she was more open to "walk through the door" and "see what happens in the uncertainty.”

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In other news, SZA and Kendrick Lamar take a two-week break before embarking on the global leg of their Grand National Tour. On July 2, the duo will begin their European leg with the first show in Cologne, Germany.

They are scheduled to make pit stops in Frankfurt, Glasgow, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, and Barcelona, among other cities, wrapping up in Stockholm on August 9.

They recently added two new shows in Australia, scheduled for December 2025. The duo will headline in Melbourne on December 3 and in Sydney on December 10.

Edited by Arunava Dutta