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PSA (song)

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"PSA"
Song by SZA
from the album SOS
Written2022
ReleasedJanuary 5, 2023 (2023-01-05) (download-only bonus track)
Recorded2022
Length1:38
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Carter Lang
  • Will Miller
Teaser
"PSA" on YouTube

"PSA" (also called "Potting Season") is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from her second studio album SOS (2022). It is an orchestral song with a simple, stringed production, consisting of pianos and harps alongside vocal harmonies. The lyrics are delivered in a rap cadence and with braggadocio; SZA demands that people call her nothing but number-one and serve her, says she takes pleasure in angering people, and mocks those she views as "bottom feeders". "PSA" was used for the official teaser for SOS, yet despite this, the song did not appear on the final track list for the standard edition.

The song was released on January 5, 2023, as one of two bonus songs on a digital version of SOS, available only on Top Dawg Entertainment's online shop. SZA planned "PSA" for inclusion on the standard track list of SOS but was stopped by her label Top Dawg's president, Punch, because it did not fit with his vision for the album. It was intended for Lana (2024), the reissue of her second studio album SOS (2022), but ultimately did not make the final tracklist. After the website-exclusive release of "PSA", SZA performed it several times during the SOS Tour as the concert opener, as well as at a surprise concert celebrating the release of SOS.

Background

[edit]

SZA released her debut studio album, Ctrl, in 2017. Primarily an R&B album with lyrics that address facets of contemporary life and romance,[1][2][3] it was commercially successful and received considerable acclaim. Critics credit it for being innovative within the R&B genre and establishing her as a major figure in contemporary pop and R&B music.[note 1] Even so, she grew discontented with being classified as an R&B musician; she later stated that she felt like her music was being reductively categorized because she was a Black woman.[9]

After the album's release, media began speculating on when her next one, SOS, would arrive.[10][11] Within the following years, SZA began releasing the first singles from the album, fueling anticipation for SOS, starting with "Good Days" in 2020.[12] "I Hate U" followed in 2021, and "Shirt", which she had been teasing since 2020, was released in October 2022.[13]

Upon releasing "Shirt", she posted on Twitter to reveal that it was finally "album time",[14] and outlets surmised that it would have a December release upon noticing that a car had the date written on the license plate.[15][16] Later on November 8, during SZA's 33rd birthday, she celebrated the occasion by uploading a video to her YouTube account, which uses a snippet of a song titled "PSA", reposting it on social media with the caption "clock starts now."[17]

Music and lyrics

[edit]

SZA sought to prove her musical versatility with SOS by imbuing her established sound with elements from multiple genres;[18][19] one of her visions for the album was to make songs that were orchestral and simple but at the same time aggressive.[20] Producer Carter Lang met with Will Miller alongside two other producers to create around 20 demos that incorporated this sound, inspired by what Lang described to Rolling Stone Music Now as "very minimal" and "beautifully haunting" pieces. Among the demos were "PSA", also called "Potting Season", alongside the standard edition track "Blind". After they arranged the layering on the demos, they sent the songs to SZA for her to write lyrics.[21]

Being an orchestral track, "PSA" is a song that consists of soft piano[22] and harps.[23] SZA raps in a braggadocious manner as she harmonizes in the background;[24] in the lyrics, she demands that people call her nothing but "number-one" and serve her[23][25] so she can cope with her problems, because she doesn't "know how to take losses [...] even when they are lost causes."[26] She also says she takes pleasure in making people angry—"pissing [them] off just to get off"—then mocks "bottom feeders" who "suck dick by the liter", perceiving them as of less value than her.[17] The closing lines are "you should go cry about it, not trying to fight about it."[24][22]

Release

[edit]

The "PSA" teaser for SOS was directed by Bradley J. Calder,[27] with pyrotechnic and luminescent visual effects by Rick Braukis.[28] Nearly two minutes long,[29] it features alternating shots of SZA in two scenes: in one, she wears a brown bikini and crouches in a ring of neon green fire, and in the other, she pours blue, fluorescent liquid over her naked self by a beach.[28][24] As the teaser ends, she makes her way towards the sea, and the video cuts to black before playing Morse code for the SOS distress signal.[26]

SOS was released on December 9, 2022, and despite being used for the teaser, "PSA" was not one of the 23 songs that made the final cut.[30] SZA said that Punch, president of her label Top Dawg Entertainment, encouraged to excludes unreleased tracks like "PSA" on the standard edition despite her and her fans' wishes because it did not fit with his vision for SOS.[31][32] According to SZA, he told her that the song sounded "too much like 'Blind'" and "people [would] get bored of hearing" it, saying that only one of them should be on the track list.[20] As a response, she suggested that "PSA" could be a bonus track on the album's deluxe edition.[33] The edition developed into an album reissue she called Lana, which would consist of at least seven songs that were either new music or SOS outtakes. However, after certain songs intended for Lana were leaked, SZA changed her plans and said in 2024 that the deluxe edition would become separate from Lana and include all the leaks and songs she previously teased.[34][35]

SOS spent ten weeks at number one on the US Billboard 200,[36] and the tracking week ending January 6, 2023, marked its fourth week at the top. For the following week, there was a chance that Taylor Swift's Midnights (2022) might replace SOS at number one.[37] On January 5, when tracking was about to end, SZA and Swift tried to boost their respective albums by releasing digital versions that contained exclusive bonus material.[38] SZA's version was available to purchase only on Top Dawg's website, and it contained all 23 tracks from the standard edition alongside two previously unreleased songs. "PSA" was one of the two, and the solo version of "Open Arms" was the other.[23][39]

Live performances

[edit]

The first live performance of "PSA" was during the SOS Tour, debuted at her concert at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio, on February 21, 2023.[40] Her set lists for the European and North American legs started with "PSA", which she performed as she recreated the album cover art on stage, atop a diving board with a screen behind her that projected a video of the ocean.[41][42] Once she was done with the song, the screen showed her dive into water below.[43]

SZA also played "PSA" during an invitation-only album celebration event in Brooklyn, New York, in September 2023 as the third out of seven songs on the set list, which included three other songs intended for the deluxe edition.[44] When she headlined Glastonbury on June 30, 2024, she included "PSA" as her set's opener.[45]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Cited to The Line of Best Fit,[4] NME,[5] The Daily Telegraph,[6] The New Yorker,[7] and Consequence[8]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Savage, Mark (December 22, 2017). "The Top 10 Albums of 2017". BBC. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  2. ^ Kennedy, Gerrick D. (June 14, 2017). "What to Listen to Now: SZA, Bleachers, Secret Sisters and More". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  3. ^ Lobenfeld, Claire (June 13, 2017). "SZA: Ctrl Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  4. ^ Taylor, Ims (December 9, 2022). "SZA Hits the Heights on the Dense but Masterful SOS". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  5. ^ Williams, Sophie (February 23, 2023). "How SZA Inspired a Generation of R&B Storytellers: 'She's a Radical Light'". NME. Archived from the original on July 1, 2024. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  6. ^ McCormick, Neil; Haider, Arwa; Johnston, Kathleen (December 9, 2022). "Sam Ryder Is No One-Hit Wonder, SZA Channels Princess Diana – The Week's Best Albums". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on December 17, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  7. ^ Pearce, Sheldon (June 16, 2022). "The Sideways Wisdom of SZA's Ctrl". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  8. ^ Siregar, Cady (December 9, 2022). "On SOS, SZA Once Again Blows Expectations out of the Water". Consequence. Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  9. ^ Blake, Cole (December 12, 2022). "SZA Says She's Tired of Being Labeled an R&B Artist". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  10. ^ Lee, Cydney; Lipshutz, Jason; Mamo, Heran; Robinson, Kristin; Unterberger, Andrew (January 4, 2023). "Five Burning Questions: SZA Holds at No. 1 for Third Week with SOS Album". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 5, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  11. ^ Shepherd, Julianne Escobedo (December 9, 2022). "SOS: SZA". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on May 2, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  12. ^ Anderson, Trevor (December 9, 2023). "1 Year of SOS: 8 Records & Achievements for SZA's Blockbuster Album". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  13. ^ Thompson, Stephen; Harris, Aisha; Madden, Sidney; Katzif, Mike; Wood, Rommel; Reedy, Jessica (December 15, 2022). "On SOS, SZA Both Surprises and Delivers Exactly What We've Been Waiting For" (Audio upload and transcript). NPR Music. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  14. ^ "SZA finally releases new single "Shirt" and confirms it's "album time"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  15. ^ Abraham, Mya (October 28, 2022). "Christmas Comes Early With New Music From Rihanna, SZA, dvsn, And More". VIBE.com. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  16. ^ Lane, Lexi (October 28, 2022). "What Song Is at the End of SZA's 'Shirt' Video?". Uproxx. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Dionne, Zach (November 9, 2022). "SZA Drops Mysterious 'PSA (Official Teaser)' Video Featuring New Music, Tells Fans 'Clock Starts Now'". Complex. Archived from the original on November 27, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  18. ^ Phan, Karena (December 9, 2022). "Review: SZA's Perfection Takes Time in Second Album SOS". Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  19. ^ McNeal, Bria (December 9, 2022). "SZA's SOS Is Unpolished—and Completely Thrilling". Esquire. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  20. ^ a b Conteh, Mankaprr; Hiatt, Brian (December 18, 2022). "SZA Speaks! Inside Her New Album and Much More". Rolling Stone Music Now (Podcast). Archived from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  21. ^ Hiatt, Brian (January 29, 2023). "The Making of SZA's SOS". Rolling Stone Music Now (Podcast). Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  22. ^ a b Mier, Tomás (November 9, 2022). "SZA Teases Cryptic 'PSA' Project in New Video". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  23. ^ a b c Gonzalez, Alex (January 6, 2023). "SZA Just Dropped a Pair of SOS Outtakes, Including the Much Anticipated 'PSA'". Uproxx. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  24. ^ a b c Dailey, Hannah (November 9, 2022). "SZA Teases New Music in NSFW 'PSA' Trailer: Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  25. ^ Chelosky, Danielle (November 9, 2022). "SZA Shows Lots of Skin in Her Hypnotizing, NSFW Teaser Clip Called 'PSA'". Uproxx. Archived from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  26. ^ a b Krol, Charlotte (November 9, 2022). "SZA Shares Sultry 'PSA' Teaser as Speculation About Album Release Builds". NME. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  27. ^ Kenneally, Cerys (November 9, 2022). "SZA Shares New 'PSA' Teaser Featuring Potential Album Clue". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  28. ^ a b Dazed (January 18, 2023). "Rick Braukis is the firestarter behind SZA's hypnotic visual effects". Dazed. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  29. ^ Abraham, Mya (November 11, 2022). "Yuna, Mahalia, Dram, and More Make Vulnerability Cool Again This New Music Friday". Vibe. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  30. ^ Guy, Zoe (December 9, 2022). "SZA Blesses Us with SOS This Holiday Season". Vulture. Archived from the original on January 3, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  31. ^ Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (December 21, 2022). "SZA Claims Her Team Blocked Fan-Favorite Songs from SOS". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  32. ^ Wicker, Jewel (December 12, 2022). "SZA Is Trying to Save Herself". Consequence. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  33. ^ Griffiths, George (December 21, 2022). "SZA Hints at New Tracks for SOS Deluxe Edition and Fears of Album 'Flopping' Before Release". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  34. ^ Aswad, Jem (March 27, 2024). "SZA to Release Leaked Songs as Deluxe Edition of 'SOS,' Will Remake Delayed 'Lana' LP 'From Scratch'". Variety. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  35. ^ Zemler, Emily (March 27, 2024). "SZA Will Release 'Leaks and Outtakes' from 'SOS' as Deluxe LP to Focus on Next Project". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  36. ^ Caulfield, Keith (February 26, 2023). "SZA's 'SOS' Makes It 10 Weeks at No. 1 on Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  37. ^ Wilkes, Emma (January 7, 2023). "SZA Denies Rumours of Taylor Swift Feud: 'I Don't Have Beef [with] Anyone.'". NME. Archived from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  38. ^ Mier, Tomás (January 6, 2023). "No, SZA Doesn't 'Have Beef' with Taylor Swift". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  39. ^ Cowen, Trace William (January 6, 2023). "SZA Shuts Down Talk of Beef with Taylor Swift, Says She 'Genuinely Loved' Singer's Midnights Album". Complex. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  40. ^ Richards, Will (February 23, 2023). "SZA Covers Erykah Badu and Debuts SOS Songs at Arena Tour Opener". NME. Archived from the original on February 25, 2023. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  41. ^ Turner-Williams, Jaelani (February 22, 2023). "SZA Lives Up to All the Anticipation as She Launches Her SOS Tour". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  42. ^ Williams, Jenessa (June 14, 2023). "SZA Review – Voyage of a Lifetime with Genre-Busting R&B Superstar". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  43. ^ Gendron, Bob (February 24, 2023). "Review: SZA Packs the United Center for Her SOS Tour, an Arena Headliner on the Rise". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  44. ^ "SZA Says 'SOS' Deluxe Is Actually "A Whole Nother Album" Called 'Lana'". Stereogum. September 9, 2023. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  45. ^ Savage, Mark (July 1, 2024). "SZA's Striking Set Failed to Set Glastonbury Alight". BBC News. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
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