Singer Solána Imani Rowe, aka SZA, has called off her relationship with Terrence “Punch” Henderson. The news came days after she released her second studio album Lana on December 20, 2024. She confirmed her split while responding to a fan’s query on Instagram.
The duo has known each other for over a decade and has collaborated on various tracks and albums. Punch also assisted SZA in her albums Ctrl and SOS. However, there is an interesting story about how the two met each other.
It goes back to a year before Kendrick Lamar released his second studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. At that time, he had a show in Brooklyn where Rowe and her friend sold merchandise. Henderson wanted to buy something but failing to find the right size, he met Rowe the next day.
The following day, while discussing clothes with SZA, he noticed her friend wearing headphones and was completely absorbed in the music. When he asked who the artist was, her friend revealed it was SZA’s music. He listened to it and that’s how their journey began. The story was shared by X user Mike Epstein who wrote:
“I love artist discovery stories like this - whether the headphones were a play to catch his attention or completely natural, sometimes the universe rewards you for being in the right place at the right time! This story is an excerpt from a new interview Punch recently did with the R&B Money podcast.”
SZA urged netizens to not criticize Punch for their separation
Henderson, who serves as the co-president of Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), was also involved in the making of Lana. The two had plans to release more songs which are likely to be out soon. Taking to X on December 21, 2024, she wrote:
“And before yall even start .. punch gave the go ahead to purge and drop all songs .. more things are on the way.”
In another post, SZA shared a screenshot of her conversation with Henderson where she requested him to release three songs Take You Down, PSA, and Open Arms as they have already been ‘mastered.’ Henderson replied that she should wait until Christmas or New Year. When a fan enquired about the release on Instagram, she replied:
“those were tracks punch and I spoke about releasing together prior. Obviously he stepped away abruptly so sorting the drop out was a bit tricky. Pls Give me a second .. they’ll be loaded.”
She then emphasized her appreciation for Punch and stated that no one should criticize or attack him on her behalf, acknowledging that people sometimes grow apart. She described it as the end of an era, not something to celebrate, and expressed her best wishes for his future decisions.
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While speaking to Variety in 2023, Punch shared that SZA is often her toughest critic and never felt fully confident in her songs. His role, he explained, was to reassure her of the record's quality and highlight its strengths. He also acknowledged the need for a "fall guy" during the process, preferring to take on that role himself so SZA could focus on creating music without added distractions.
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