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SZA Talks Working With Ty Dolla $ign & The Neptunes For “Hit Different” Single

By: Yohance Kyles (@HUEYmixwitRILEY)Category: News

The ‘Ctrl’ album creator also discussed her next body of work.

(AllHipHop News) It feels like SZA season is upon us. Last Friday, the Top Dawg Entertainment singer-songwriter dropped the new song “Hit Different” featuring Ty Dolla $ign.

New Music Daily’s Zane Lowe recently spoke to the music star for Apple Music. Lowe and SZA talked about her connecting with TD$ as well as teaming with The Neptunes for the track.

“I can’t really wrap my head around the experience and I think more so I’m fangirling off of having a track produced by probably the most formative producers and artists for me when I was growing up,” said SZA about her experience working with Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes.

The 29-year-old performer continued, “I cried just explaining to Pharrell what he meant to me growing up here in the burbs – being one of five black people in my radius. It just was really crazy because you have your idols in your mind and I avoid mine all the time in case it don’t go well. And I just was really astonished. Chad was just perfect and Pharrell was just perfect. It was too perfect.”

SZA credits Ty Dolla $ign with the “Hit Different” hook. She told Lowe, “Ty just came through. He’s so effortless. He was like mumbling… and just said ‘Hit Different’ and it really hit me differently. And me and Pharrell, Chad and everybody – we just made five jams that we just love or six. And I just cannot f*cking believe that because it’s my childhood dream and I can’t believe that I made things that I f*ck with with someone that really changed my life.” 

“Hit Different” had a strong opening on the Spotify charts. The single racked up 1,106,414 streams on the platform in its first 24 hours. It added another 1,298,810 Spotify plays over the following two days. SZA and Ty Dolla $ign’s collaboration currently sits at #2 on the iTunes R&B/Soul songs chart.

“I just really want to put out more music and more — this body of work that I’ve been working on… everything sounds different. But it all sounds like me,’ stated SZA. “As long as the essence of me is in it I’m not really stressed about continuity or making sense to anybody. I’ve been making a sh*t ton of music. If you really leave it up to me, ain’t no telling when sh*t’s gonna come out because I have anxiety… I’ve never felt so loose in the world before.” 

2017’s Ctrl was a breakout project for SZA (born Solána Imani Rowe). The New Jersey native’s debut studio LP was praised by professional music critics and earned the vocalist five Grammy nominations. Ctrl is presently certified 2x-Platinum by the RIAA.