At midnight (Feb. 23), SZA surprise-released her new single “Saturn.” The track explored her disillusionment with earthly life while suggesting the allure of beginning anew on the planet that shares the song’s name. It was initially featured in a Mastercard commercial during the 2024 Grammys and marked her first solo offering of the year.
On the record, she sang, “Stuck in this paradigm/ Don’t believe in paradise/ This must be what Hell is like/ There’s got to be more, got to be more/ Sick of this head of mine/ Intrusive thoughts, they paralyze/ Nirvana’s not as advertised.”
Similar to 2022’s “Snooze,” the release came alongside multiple versions, including the original, live, sped-up, acappella and instrumental. It’s expected to appear on her upcoming project, LANA, which currently has no launch date or confirmed tracklist.
“It was gonna be [SOS] outtakes and some new songs, but it’s become more than I expected,” SZA told Variety about the LP in November 2023. “It was gonna be really soft because I had made all my screaming points, and I just wanted to glide, and not think [too much], and get out of my own head. I was so happy to say some s**t that didn’t mean a f**king thing.”
Elsewhere, SZA revealed that the title LANA stemmed from her first tattoo, explaining that she couldn’t afford the first two letters in “Solána,” her birth name. The artist also mentioned that the project would contain seven to 10 songs.
At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 4, SZA secured three awards: Best R&B Song for “Snooze,” Best Progressive R&B Album for SOS and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Ghost in the Machine” with Phoebe Bridgers. The songstress was initially nominated in nine categories.
SZA is currently supporting SOS on her world tour. The trek boasts upcoming stops in Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne and several South American festivals, including Lollapalooza in Argentina, Chile and Brazil.