SZA bought a balloon sculpture from Montreal artist Adam Nassih after spotting another artist trashing his work online. She shared the purchase in an Instagram carousel Today, Oct. 15. The troll had called Nassih’s art garbage in the comments and dared anyone who bought a piece to let him match it. SZA asked Nassih for his most expensive piece, tagged the commenter and closed with a line about how being a hater gets expensive.
It was a small purchase with a loud message. And it landed on the same day her voice debuted in the biggest video game trailer of the year.
What did SZA buy from Adam Nassih?
Nassih is a Montreal-born artist who runs the brand Loonsba. He makes sculptures from real balloons coated in resin, turning something people usually throw away into something permanent. His colorful balloon animals are the pieces the troll mocked.
According to Complex, SZA started out asking for the priciest work in his collection but ended up taking home a smaller piece. She didn’t name the troll, only that he was an artist too. It’s unclear whether he ever matched the purchase. Her version of the ending was simple. He didn’t make a sale that day.
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How much does Adam Nassih’s art cost?
This is the detail that flips the story. The Loonsba site lists current editions for a few hundred dollars each, from $220 for balloon flowers to $390 for a multicolor balloon dog. So the troll’s dare was never about big money. It was about humiliating a smaller artist in public.
That makes her move less about her bank account and more about whose side she chose. For a superstar, a few hundred dollars is pocket change. For an independent artist, a public endorsement from the singer is the kind of shine money can’t buy. Nassih’s Instagram account has about 67,000 followers.
Why did SZA’s move hit home with fans?
SZA knows trolls. She has dealt with years of online comments about her body, her looks and her album rollouts. Instead of clapping back at her own critics, she used her platform to protect someone with less of one. For many Black women creatives who get picked apart online every day, watching her turn a hater’s dare into a sale felt personal.
It also fits the art. Nassih takes something fragile and makes it last. SZA took a cheap shot and turned it into a moment people will remember.
What else is SZA working on?
Thursday was busy. Rockstar Games released the launch trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI, featuring Flower in a Hurricane, a new song from Justice with Tame Impala, SZA and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard.
She also has a fashion drop coming. She was named artistic director of Vans last year, and her first VANSZA footwear collection arrives later this month. Fans are still waiting on new solo music too. SZA has been posting snippets and studio photos on her main and private Instagram accounts, and she recently hinted to a fan that new music could arrive this winter.
Until then, her latest release is a reminder that hating in public now comes with a receipt.
