SZA’s back! The silky-smooth songstress surprised fans Sunday (Aug. 22) and released not one but three new tracks via SoundCloud. She posted the songs, which she described on Twitter as “random thoughts,” under the alias “.”
The release may not be the full-length project fans have been waiting for, but the three tracks— “Joni,” “I Hate You” and “Nightbird” — should hold them over until Solána and TDE unleash the album. It’s unclear whether the songs will be part of SZA’s upcoming studio album since they weren’t released traditionally like the rumored first singles “Hit Different” and “Good Days.”
On “Joni” SZA sings over an acoustic guitar:
“If the money right/ is the pussy good?/ I keep it tight for the right one/ Save it all for the right one/ For the perrrrrfect timing.”
“I Hate You” is one of SZA’s signature R&B jams where the singer pours her heart out over relationship woes.
“And if you wonder if I hate you: I do/ shitty of you to make me feel just like this/ What I would to make you feel like this/ And if you wonder if I hate you: fuck you/ Shitty of you to make me feel just like this/ What I would do to make you feel like this,” she harmonizes.
“Nightbird” is a mellow tune that finds SZA asking her lover to “stay the night, even if it’s not for long.”
“I only got you for a short time/
Going through a hard time, hoping you can carry my demons part time/
Asking too much past the basics/ Too much, just stay,” she sings.
It’s been three years since SZA dropped her Grammy-nominated debut album CTRL. She released its purported first single “Hit Different” in September, followed by “Good Days” in December 2020. She has since been featured on SAINt JHN’s “Just For Me” and Doja Cat’s hit “Kiss Me More.”
Listen to “Nightingale,” “Joni” and “I Hate You” below: