Listen to SZA's new single Hit Different, her first major single a fair while

SZA fans are hungry. Back in 2017, the musician entered the upper echelon of R&B with her second album Ctrl, a record that took SZA from an R&B cult-favourite thanks to her debut album Z a few years prior, to a bonafide heavyweight worthy of all the applause the world. The record was an instant hit, and one of the best records released in a fair while, and to the surprise of absolutely nobody, her next record is one everyone is highly awaiting.

However, in the years since Ctrl, SZA has kept quiet. Later in 2017, she teamed up with Calvin Harris for a 'Funk Wav' remix of The Weekend which gave the single a disco bounce, while in early 2018, Kendrick Lamar enlisted her for the Black Panther-featuring All The Stars, a single which only further solidified SZA's craft. Since then, she's popped up for a feature or two - DJ Khaled last year, Justin Timberlake for the Trolls soundtrack this year - but there's been no major single in a while now, let alone the lead from an album that's been long-rumoured and apparently, long-delayed.

Today, however, things change. It's yet to be announced whether the song is a cut from a forthcoming album, but Hit Different sees SZA re-enter the spotlight once again, with Ty Dolla $ign aiding to create a song just as infectiously hypnotic as CTRL all those years ago. Hit Different is quintessential SZA; her vocal front and centre amongst a haze of organ and percussion, produced by The Neptunes - their signature bounce reduced to just a shading, as SZA's vocal takes the lead.

If all goes right, Hit Different could mark the beginning of an exciting new era ahead. In an interview with Rolling Stone earlier this year, she mentioned studio sessions with Timbaland, Sia, and Pharrell. Then, on an Instagram Live shortly after, she doubled down on those collaborations and said there was tracks with Lizzo, Megan Thee Stallion, Kehlani, and Jhené Aiko on the way.

In the meantime, take a dive into Hit Different below, alongside its self-directed new video.

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