Sza's Highly Symbolic Music Video 'SHIRT'🦋

I never thought I would be doing a blog on Sza any time soon. Yet, her song PSA popped into my head while I was doing laundry. I remember being disappointed it did not make it onto her album SOS. However, that disappointment was often distinguished because I would get riled up again about the new single she dropped called "Shirt."

I remember being so enamored by this video because of its intense nature. It's definitely one of those storytelling videos you must watch more than once to understand at least a fraction of what message is being conveyed. 

In the video, she may be depicting navigating fame while attempting to stay true to herself. 

Perhaps she is reenacting her Twin Flame dynamic experience.... This video, I believe, goes much deeper than telling a love story. 

In the article, we will look at its symbolism as well as my theories on what it might mean. As well as its purpose. 

 The One Eye 

The video begins with Sza and her partner in crime played by Lakeith Steinfield.  

He is a strikingly unique and mysterious character with an interesting attire. What strikes me about his appearance is his eye patch. Covering one eye. Despite this character obviously being a love interest, the underlying tones of his depiction tell me that he could also be the 'devil' as well as a representation of the Illuminati or the "occultic elite" given he is constantly only showing one eye yet doesn't have a name. 

Neither does Sza, but she doesn't need an introduction since she is obviously playing herself in this dynamic. 

Lakeith Stanfield playing the Devil, the higher-ups, or a lover/twin flame. 

Sza's eye is almost completely covered in the same scene of them together. 

"When you block one eye, you effectively block one-half of your vision. In symbolic terms, you become half-blind to the truth. By hiding one eye celebrities symbolically "sacrifice" a vital part of their being for material gain. And since the eyes are the "windows to the soul" this gesture symbolizes the partial or total loss of the soul. (....) It is also about debasing the masses from everything that is true, pure, and healthy. "

-The One-Eye Sign, its Origin, and Occultic Meaning, Vigilant Citizens.com 

A deal with the Devil 

After Sza tells the Eye Patch-man that everything is made of "energy" -which is a philosophy people in the spiritual community adopted to make sense of the world around them, he then invitingly questions her before seducing her. 

Because Lakeith Steinfield is playing the devil in this scene, he seduces Sza by not questioning her for making the assumption, "Everything is energy," which would be difficult for the average person to believe... so, this makes her feel safe. As a result, she makes a deal with him, making them partners in crime for the remainder of the video. 

Instead of shaking hands when making alliances, they put their blunts together (which is a habit Sza claims she quit). This makes their partnership official. 

They can now fight crime together!  Which I highly believe is disguised as carrying out the 'elites' nefarious agendas. 

More on this a little later in the article.

Sza's eye is now completely covered right after she makes a deal with the devil and right before she shoots a third wheel in the head. 

The Seven Deadly Sins

Sza depicts her and the devil eliminating wrongdoers or "sinners" if you will, by using symbols representing the seven deadly sins. Let's break it down. 

During this scene, she sings;

In the dark right now
Feeling lost, but I like it
Comfort in my sins, and all about me
All I got right now
Feel the taste of resentment
Simmer in my skin, it's all about

Even though we see Lakeith in physical form, he could be a figment of Sza's imagination, or he could be a metaphor for something much deeper (The Devil).  She is most likely carrying out nefarious agendas, alone.  We can conclude this because she is only talking about herself in this verse but has the devil right by her side in the video. 

 We will touch more on this theory as well in the article later. 

Pride 

Here we see a pastor who does not practice what he preaches i.e. sin is not acceptable. Especially if it is done on purpose. 

He's delivering a sermon in a bar. As a result, there are pool tables in the back. This setting clearly portrays the pastor as a walking contradiction and hypocrite. He is openly demonstrating his hypocrisy, but his pride allows him to do so. 

Also, we can see Sza tattooing her own album title on her arm several times. This could also be a representation of pride.  

Greed

Traditionally pastors expect churchgoers to put money into a collection plate. In this case, since this man is playing a pastor we can infer that he expects people to put money into his collection plate despite being a walking contradiction and hypocrite. 

Also, given there are MULTIPLE pool tables in the back, we can conclude that the pastor has a gambling problem, this could represent his love for money. 

Furthermore, in her song  "Blind", she sings: 

Fucking up a check, I don't want a receipt. 

Perhaps, Sza is admitting to keeping her money all for herself to spend irresponsibly. 

Lust 

This is self-explanatory; there are a slew of naked women doing headstands all over the place. Even their genitalia are visible. 

Sza is also seen having an intimate encounter with the Devil for a split second, implying that she is indeed into mixing business with pleasure.  This could be how Sza practices "lust."

Sza putting on lipstick could also contribute to the sexualization of nuns. 

Gluttony

The pastor is a big guy with a big stomach. This is an example of gluttony. 

Sza is dressed as a pizza delivery person.  Her paying homepage to fast food could be a representation of gluttony. 

Sza dressed up as a pizza delivery person with a blank nametag.

Sloth

The pastor is also shown preaching while sitting down. Usually when a pastor preaches they are standing up. 

Sza is also seen tattooing herself while sitting on a lounge sofa.  She even fired a shot at the viewers at one point.  Why? I don't know. 

Sza shoots at the viewers while sitting down on a sofa. 

Wrath

Sza and her partner in crime, aka her lover, aka the devil, go on random killing sprees for no apparent reason. 

When she is shown shooting her victims she always seems so angry. 

Envy 

Sza shoots a clown.  

Not to mention, his body appears to be on the staircase of a hotel, motel, or apartment building. We can assume that the clown was on his way to work. 

This can be interpreted as envy because clowns are stereotypically liked by everyone for doing the bare minimum. They are paid to make balloon animals, entertain, and make people laugh. I suppose you could say they have it easy. 

Her lyrics also reads:

Still don't know my worth, still stressing perfection

When someone does not recognize their own worth and suffers from perfectionism, we can assume they practice envy in their spare time because they are prone to putting others on a pedestal.  Even a clown in this case. 

 

Solar Plexus Chakra 

Sza is then betrayed by her partner in crime, who shoots her right below her heart. This can also be symbolic. This counteracts the fact that she is reenacting a betrayal by a love interest, and this visual is far deeper than we realize. 

Also, I noticed he shot her in her solar plexus chakra. 

What is the solar plexus chakra?

The solar plexus chakra, also known as the third chakra or Manipura chakra, is responsible for self-esteem, boundaries, and willpower. Working with the solar plexus chakra helps us unlock deeper levels of authenticity in our lives and develop the confidence to stand in our truth.
-Unlocking the Power of your Solar Plexus chakra with solar plexus affirmations, Rocky Mountain Oils

This is symbolic because her accomplice, the devil, breaks the partnership between her and him. This is when Sza realizes she was being used the whole time and was never in control. Hense why the license plate says "No CTRL". 

Sza dies, leaving her physical body dead, and we are then transported to this strange scenery. 

The devil pokes out of her astral body, which could represent willing possession when they touched blunts instead of shaking hands. This supports my theory that Lakeith was merely a figment of her imagination manifested in physical form for us (the viewers) to understand what is going on in the story. 

This is happening while she is still shown ascending from Earth's 3D plane. Because she is no longer in her physical body, this could represent her and the devils' spiritual departure. 

Later in the video, we see colors begin to appear, and then he vanishes. Since we see the colors blue, purple, yellow, indigo, orange, red, and green, I believe this is a representation of Sza getting all of her chakras aligned. We can see later in the video that her chakra alignment brings her back to life. 

We see a squid and other types of fish after the flash of colors. 

Here are the possible meanings of the sea life being showcased in the video: 

Squid symbolism is a message for you to embrace the light. Simply put, this spirit animal asks you to break free from feelings of fear, self-doubt, guilt, hate, regret, and despair.

- Squid symbolism, Spirit Animals.com 

Fish are symbols of rebirth, fertility, the unconscious or higher self, luck, change, health, and feelings(...) Fish are also commonly associated with the water element, which signifies stability, balance, and tranquility

-Fish symbolism & spiritual meaning of seeing fish. 

Since we still see the bloodstain on her shirt from her being shot this could be a representation of her watching her life flash before her eyes, reminiscing about the time when she was passionate about Marine Biology, almost as if to say, "I should have stayed in school, gotten my degree, and done what I am actually passionate about."  

We see the chef from the beginning resurrect her with sage.

This chef, I believe, could represent a spirit guide of Sza's. Or he is inspired by a real spiritual practitioner who assisted her in balancing her chakras and spiritual healing. 

His hat is different in this scene. Instead of solid Yellow, it is a checkered print. Light and dark. An Illuminati symbol. 

The chef brings Sza back to life with sage in a checkered hat.

The chef at the beginning of the video with a different-colored hat but the same outfit. 

Cannibalism 

After the butcher/chef kill Lakeith. We do not see his body afterward. Which leads me to believe they chopped him up and cooked him. 

Sza pushes his car into the ocean and burns the license plate. 

During the "Blind" segment of the video, we see her in the kitchen with the chef.

This implies that his body was disposed of by him being cooked. 

Remember, we see Lakeith eating broccoli at the start of the video, but Sza is eating meat. Maybe they were eating Chinese food, but that is unclear. Chinese cuisine has recently been criticized for its questionable meat selection. Their meal could be highly symbolic in and of itself. 

The chef keeps a close eye on Lakeith as they converse. Is this some sort of foreshadowing? Regardless, cannibalism is depicted in the video. 

This has caused some controversy among Hollywood celebrities in recent years. 

Even though the "cannibal cafe" was ruled out as a hoax, I believe Sza is confirming something. Why, of all possible ways to dispose of his body, cook him? He could have been dumped into the ocean with the wrecked car, but I digress. 

Theories 

This video has a lot of layers because the symbolism is so complex and layered. One act can represent a variety of things.

However, some of the symbolism in this video is clear and unmistakable. 

I have a few theories about why Sza is displaying these things in her visuals as a whole.  

1. The music video for "SHIRT" reflected her interest in Aleister Crowley's teachings. 

Aleister Crowley was an occultist who believed that mastering the seven deadly sins allowed you to reach a higher level of consciousness. After Sza displayed all seven of these sins, she dies and resurrects. This shows that she was born again with a higher consciousness. 

And, despite having "ascended," she is still comfortable in her sins.  

Her lyrics say: 

Comfort in my sins, all about me

This also shows that her displaying the seven deadly sins in this visual was intentional. 

2. Sza admits to making a deal with the devil, unknowingly sacrificing her control; it backfired, and she realized she was carrying out the industry's prominent nefarious agendas of today: Mocking Christianity and gender blurring. 

Sza wearing a suit. Example of gender blurring.

It's unclear whether this is the kidnapped and murdered pastor's wife or a choir member.  In addition, the money bag she is holding is checkered. Which represents light and dark. Yang and Yin. A legitimate Illuminati symbol. 

3. Sza was trying to tell us the Pizzagate scandal is not fake.

We don't see who Sza and Lakeith are shooting at in this scene, unlike in others. This is symbolic. We just saw them with guns drawn in a pizza parlor in a big city.  The Pizza parlor that has been running a pedophilia ring is reportedly located in New York City, a massive state that just so happens to be an urban setting. 

4. It's possible that Sza is reenacting a past relationship that had been a  Twin Flame dynamic. This interpretation, however, is most likely a cover-up. Since Sza has a reputation to uphold, I believe the subliminal messages in this visual cannot be too obvious. She is not known for being this controversial. She is only known for singing songs about relationship issues. 

Also, I feel like the only reason why no one has looked into the deeper symbolism behind this video is because they believe it is a reenactment of a romantic relationship that went wrong. 

5.  The hospital scene 

Again, Sza and Lakeith are shooting at unidentified individuals. 

I'm not sure why they're shooting up a hospital. However, "Order out of Chaos" comes to mind. That is how the elites divide and conquer the masses. This brings them one step closer to establishing a one-world government.  The 2020 pandemic was unquestionably the ideal time to implement new regulations and mandates. For example, mandatory vaccination. 

This could be another example of Sza contributing to the elites' agendas. 

However, this scene is open for interpretation. 

Conclusion 

This visual can be interpreted in a variety of ways. The rabbit hole is quite deep. 

It's possible that Sza's depiction of the seven deadly sins was an initiation ritual, simply paying homage to occultic teachings, or she was warning us about the dark side of Hollywood and fame while using her relationship problems as a cover-up to avoid hitting the news for being too controversial.

Either way, the majority of the symbolism is concise and in my opinion ingeniously depicted.