Los Angeles singer and songwriter Z Berg had already released four albums as leader of the bands the Like, JJAMZ, and Phases before making her solo debut in 2020. With a more-intimate, baroque pop sound and timeless melodies to match, Get Z to a Nunnery's guests included Phoebe Bridgers and Blake Mills.

Z Berg is the nickname of Los Angeles native Elizabeth Anne Berg, daughter of former Geffen Records A&R executive and producer Tony Berg. The first band she fronted was the Like, a garage rock trio formed by Z, bass player Charlotte Froom (daughter of producer Mitchell Froom), and drummer Tennessee Thomas (daughter of drummer Pete Thomas), who were all 15 or 16 years old at the time. All three had studied piano before learning guitar, bass, and drums, respectively. They self-released three EPs and, fresh out of high school, toured with acts including Maroon 5 and Phantom Planet before releasing the full-length Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking? on Geffen in 2005. Froom then left the band, and the Like recorded the girl group-inspired Release Me with producers Mark Ronson, Homer Steinweiss (Sharon Jones the Dap-Kings), and Alex Greenwald (Phantom Planet), the latter of whom played bass on the album. It arrived on Downtown Records in 2010. That year, Berg also had a role in the short film In Between Days.

In the meantime, Berg had co-founded the indie pop group JJAMZ with Greenwald, Maroon 5's James Valentine, Rilo Kiley's Jason Boesel, and Michael Runion. They delivered Suicide Pact in 2012, and some of the album's songs were featured in episodes of TV series such as Pretty Little Liars and 90210. Valentine parted ways with JJAMZ, and they changed their name to Phases before signing with Warner Bros. Records and releasing For Life in 2015. Phases' single "I'm in Love with My Life" appeared on shows including Orange Is the New Black.

Berg's first solo material surfaced in 2018 in the form of a series of songs that appeared throughout the year. One of them, the Christmas-themed "The Bad List," featured Ryan Ross of Panic! At the Disco. It and others were included on the album Get Z to a Nunnery when in arrived on Metropolitan Indian in mid-2020. Produced by Ethan Gruska, its other guests included Blake Mills, Phoebe Bridgers, and Madison Cunningham. ~ Marcy Donelson, Rovi