PSA (song)

"PSA"
Song by SZA
from the album SOS (deluxe)
Written2022
ReleasedJanuary 5, 2023 (2023-01-05)
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 reported to appear on the deluxe edition of her 2022 second studio album, SOS. The song is backed by vocal harmonies, soft piano, and harps. On it, SZA raps with braggadocio, demanding people call her "number one", telling them to serve her, and angering someone to amuse herself. "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 limited-edition 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. After its website-exclusive release, the song was performed during the SOS Tour as the concert opener and at a surprise concert

Background[edit]

SZA's 2017 studio album, Ctrl, was met with widespread critical acclaim upon its release, and it has been credited with bringing her mainstream fame. Many critics have written that Ctrl was a boundary-pushing album for the contemporary R&B genre, making her a prominent figure in contemporary pop and R&B music.[note 1] SZA began appearing in collaborations and film soundtracks after the album's release, which fueled media speculation on when her next one, SOS, would arrive.[8][9] Speculation heightened when she released "Hit Different" and the lead single "Good Days", her first work as a solo artist in five years, in 2020.[10]

Within the following years, SZA began releasing the next singles from the album, starting with "I Hate U" in 2021 and "Shirt" in October 2022, which she had been teasing since 2020.[11] Upon releasing "Shirt", she posted on Twitter to reveal that it was finally "album time",[12] and outlets surmised that it would have a December release upon noticing that a car had the date written on the license plate.[13][14] 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."[15]

Music and lyrics[edit]

One of SZA's visions for the album was to create orchestral music with simple production, but she wanted it to also sound aggressive.[16] Sometime in 2022, when producer Carter Lang met with Will Miller alongside two other producers for joint recording sessions, they decided to create around 20 demos that featured the sound SZA wanted, inspired by what Lang described to Rolling Stone Music Now as "very minimal" and "beautifully haunting" orchestral 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.[17]

The instruments in "PSA" consist of soft piano[18] and harps,[19] alongside several background vocal harmonies.[20] SZA raps the lyrics with braggadocio: she demands people call her nothing but the "number one" and serve her, admitting to insisting this because she needs to curb feelings of envy[19][21] and find a way to cope with her problems: "I don't know how to take losses / Even when, even when they are lost causes."[22] Later, she proceeds to anger someone for her own pleasure—"pissing you off just to get off"—then mocks certain "bottom feeders" who "suck dick by the liter", perceiving them as of less value than her.[15] She closes the song with the lines: "You should go cry about it, not trying to fight about it."[20][18]

Release[edit]

The "PSA" teaser for SOS was directed by Bradley J. Calder,[23] with pyrotechnic and luminescent visual effects by Rick Braukis.[24] Nearly two minutes long,[25] 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.[24][20] 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.[22]

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.[26] 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.[27][28] 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.[16] As a response, she suggested that "PSA" could be a bonus track on the album's deluxe edition.[29] 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.[30][31]

SOS debuted atop the US Billboard 200 chart, SZA's first to do so, keeping Taylor Swift's Midnights (2022) off the top and spending ten weeks at number one.[32][33] The tracking week ending January 6, 2023, marked SOS's fourth week at number one, and there was a possibility that Midnights might overtake the album for the fifth week.[34] On January 5, when tracking was about to end, SZA and Swift released digital versions of their albums, containing exclusive bonus material, to would boost their respective chart performances.[35] In SZA's case, she made a limited-edition version of SOS available for purchase only on Top Dawg's website. The version consisted of all 23 songs from the standard edition alongside two previously unreleased songs: the solo version of "Open Arms" and "PSA".[19][36]

Live performances[edit]

The first live performance of "PSA" was during the SOS Tour, debuting it at her concert at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio, on February 21, 2023.[37] 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.[38][39] When she was done with the song, she appeared to dive onto the stage floor.[40] SZA also played "PSA" during a RSVP-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.[41]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Cited to Vulture,[1] The Recording Academy,[2] The Line of Best Fit,[3] NME,[4] The Daily Telegraph,[5] The New Yorker,[6] and Consequence.[7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Curto, Justin (December 9, 2022). "SZA Finally Unleashed Her Inner Rock Star". Vulture. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  2. ^ Mitchell, Ashlee (December 13, 2022). "5 Takeaways from SZA's New Album SOS". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  3. ^ 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 January 2, 2023.
  4. ^ Daly, Rhian (December 9, 2022). "SZA – SOS Review: A Comeback Album Well Worth the Wait". NME. Archived from the original on December 27, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  5. ^ 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 December 29, 2022.
  6. ^ Pearce, Sheldon. "SZA: Ctrl (Deluxe)". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  7. ^ 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 January 2, 2023.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ Shepherd, Julianne Escobedo (December 9, 2022). "SOS: SZA". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on May 2, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "SZA finally releases new single "Shirt" and confirms it's "album time"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  13. ^ Abraham, Mya (October 28, 2022). "Christmas Comes Early With New Music From Rihanna, SZA, dvsn, And More". VIBE.com. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  14. ^ Lane, Lexi (October 28, 2022). "What Song Is at the End of SZA's 'Shirt' Video?". Uproxx. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ 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 April 19, 2024.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ a b Dazed (January 18, 2023). "Rick Braukis is the firestarter behind SZA's hypnotic visual effects". Dazed. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ 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.
  27. ^ 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.
  28. ^ Wicker, Jewel (December 12, 2022). "SZA Is Trying to Save Herself". Consequence. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  29. ^ 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.
  30. ^ 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.
  31. ^ 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.
  32. ^ Garcia, Thania (December 20, 2022). "SZA Scores Her First No. 1 Album, Logging Fifth-Biggest Debut Week of 2022". Variety. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  33. ^ Garcia, Thania (January 3, 2023). "SZA's SOS Rules Album Chart for Third Week; Nat King Cole's 'Christmas Song' Finally Hits Top 10 After 62 Years". Variety. Archived from the original on January 4, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  34. ^ 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.
  35. ^ 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.
  36. ^ 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.
  37. ^ 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.
  38. ^ 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.
  39. ^ 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.
  40. ^ 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.
  41. ^ "SZA Says 'SOS' Deluxe Is Actually "A Whole Nother Album" Called 'Lana'". Stereogum. September 9, 2023. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
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