SZA unexpectedly dropped multiple versions of her new single “Saturn” on Friday, Feb 23.
Did she give a formal announcement? No. There was no Instagram post or pre-save link.
Just SZA doing what she does for the fans, unexpectedly dropping the song we all became obsessed with from her “Grammy House” video sponsored by MasterCard. Round of applause to MasterCard for planting trees and helping the environment, but all of us music fans came for SZA and stayed for SZA.
Her song “Saturn” can only be explained as an extraterrestrial dreamy universe. Between her angelic vocals and beautifully sad lyrics, the song encapsulates the kind of artist SZA is. She’s honest and transparent, which is something that makes her so relatable to her fans. She’s a no-bullshit type of artist who clearly isn’t all about the fame and attention but rather about the music she’s putting into the world.
“Saturn” was released as an album featuring a few different variations of the song, being the original version, live version, sped-up, acapella, and an instrumental. Not only did she listen to the fans and release the song, but she gave more than what was asked. A listen to each of these song variations is worth it; SZA doesn’t miss.
This song is what I imagine walking on a cloud or floating in space is like. That hazy, dazed feeling of nothing but melodic tones and harmonious backing vocals. Sincerely, you will be transported into another universe. I’ve never heard the words “paradigm” and “terradome” used in a song, but now that I have, I think other artists need to broaden their vocabulary. “Saturn” takes you on a journey, wondering if a better life exists somewhere else in the Universe.
SZA’s first verse is, “If there’s another universe, please make some noise, give me a sign, this can’t be life, if there’s a point to losing love, repeating pain, it’s all the same, I hate this place.” Her take on the love and loss is completely real to what it’s like this day and age. You meet someone, you love them, and then ultimately you lose them. So to SZA, there has to be another universe where love is given and never taken away. It’s genius lyricism!
The pre-chorus of this song is something that also sticks out lyrically. “There’s got to be more, got to be more, sick of this head of mine, intrusive thoughts they paralyze, nirvana’s not as advertised, there’s got to be more, been here before.” The topics of anxiety and being overwhelmed about the situations around them is not lost on SZA. It says a lot about an artist when they can accurately portray emotions. Music is for the listener, and there’s nothing like listening to a song that you can connect to aside from the melody.
Since the release, fans have been in a spiral, wondering what else the singer has up her sleeve regarding her highly anticipated self-titled album, “LANA”. There were talks before this of an unreleased song fans think will be on “LANA” called “Diamond Boy.” Maybe that will be released next?
I think SZA left the fans clues in her “Saturn” cover art. She’s no Taylor-Swift-Easter-egg-type artist, but most artists plan out their releases. With that being said, the “Saturn” cover says the song title and then underneath are pictures of various items under specific letters that correspond with picture. Confused? Bear with me.
Under the “S” in the title is a drawing of the planet Saturn, a medicine bottle, a mask labelled “Sick,” and two people hugging (possibly?) labelled, “Safe.” In the same way for “A” we have Absent, Acorn, and Atom. “T” is Trust, Take My Time, and Time Wasted. “U” is Unwell. “R” is Rare and Rotten. And finally, “N” for Nothing. Her giving us this cover art could be a completely random artistic choice, but this cover art is the only hint at her album. Could these be song titles? Hints at the possible vibe for “LANA”? Then again, “Diamond Boy” is not mentioned on the cover art so once again, it’s all speculation. Just music fans doing what we do best: being delusional.
This being SZA’s self titled album, we are definitely going to get to know her on a deeper level than we did “SOS” (if that’s even possible). But for now, I’ll be dreaming of “Saturn” and the hopes of a SZA album this year.
