SZA is among the most talented artists in the R&B space today, yet the singer-songwriter’s self-doubt seems to weigh on her despite her success.
A recent song leak reveals that she had recorded a verse for the Lil Tjay and 6LACK crossover, “Calling My Phone.” The 46-second clip features a studio-ready performance by the Missouri native, which, it turns out, she never even sent to her potential collaborators.
Soon after the snippet went public, SZA tweeted: “Lmao as for the calling my phone verse .. I’m mad y’all leaked it .. but glad y’all liked it ? I punked out of turning it in … happens a lot actually . I be feeling like I can’t add anything to songs that are already fire. Respect to @liltjay + @6LACK ”
When a fan urged her to have more confidence in herself, the “Kill Bill” hitmaker replied: “It’s more a respect thing to the artist ! I literally only wanna give the best of me especially if the song is already popular . If I can’t magnify it I fall back .”
6LACK even reacted to SZA’s leaked verse, writing: “ngl i listened with my hands over my ears cz it felt like a sin. sound like butter tho.”
Lil Tjay also caught wind of the TDE singer’s confession and hinted at sending her another song for her to jump on, so a collaboration between the two may yet come to fruition.
“Mannnnnn I got some shit better for u rn You know that’s what they want! @sza,” he tweeted.
“Calling My Phone” was released as a single first and subsequently featured on Lil Tjay’s 2021 album, Destined 2 Win. The song peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has been certified 4x platinum by the RIAA, making it his most successful hit.
Though SZA held back from participating in what could’ve been a stellar collaboration, she made a power move of her own when she dropped SOS last year. Though this was only her second studio album, it became one of the biggest releases of 2022 and cemented her place as a top player in the music industry.
During a recent interview with the Rap Radar Podcast, TDE president Terrence “Punch” Henderson said that she’s also sitting on a project’s worth of material that showcases her rap skills. He added that the vocalist is adapting much better to fame this time around than she was during her Ctrl era five years ago.
“I think she’s adjusting a lot better now,” he said. “I think it’s finally starting to set in as to what’s going on and who she is. Like, for the longest, I don’t feel she connected who SZA is to Solána. But I think now, she’s starting to see it, to understand.”