Drag artists paying tribute to superstars is nothing new — but those superstars taking notice isn’t quite as common.
That didn’t stop SZA from showing love to Zymba Ding, a drag queen who competed on Season 3 of Drag Race Philippines.
Zymba paid homage to SZA’s latest album, SOS Deluxe: LANA, by embodying its cover art, which sees SZA transformed into an alien, bug-like creature, antennae and all. Her incredibly faithful tribute quickly went viral, catching the attention of SZA herself.
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SZA showered love on the look across social media. On Instagram, she commented on one of Zymba’s posts of the outfit, writing, “Wait I love these antennas even more than mine ahaha WHO IS YOUR DEALERRR!??”
SZA also shared the look to her own Instagram story, writing, “Yall are fassttt and FIRE.”
Finally, on X, she reposted a video of Zymba performing in the look, adding the caption, “This is EXCELLENT 🤌🏾✨🫀” Could SZA be a surprise guest judge on Season 4 of Drag Race Philippines, or even make an appearance on the American version of the show? Season 18 is calling your name, Solána!
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Zymba, of course, seemed thrilled to get the recognition. In an Instagram post, she wrote, “Capping my 2024 with my last paandar is worth it coz the mother herself @sza , saw this and showed love! 🥹 Ily forever.”
On X, Zymba revealed the grueling process of getting into the look, starting at 6 a.m. on the day of her performance. Due to the full body prosthetic, she said she couldn’t go to the bathroom all day, and she made do with only mints and candies for food. Was it worth it? “But SZA approved,” Zymba wrote to end her post. We’ll take that as a yes.
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