Music

SZA dominated all of 2023 with her sophomore album SOS, topping the Billboard 200 for most of January and February, spawning a pair of top two Billboard Hot 100 hits in “Kill Bill” and “Snooze,” and ending with her being named our No. 2 Greatest Pop Star of the Year.

Now, she kicks off her 2024 with the new song “Saturn” — expected to be the first taste of Lana, her much-anticipated upcoming deluxe SOS reissue. The twinkling “Saturn” bows at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, already making it a higher-peaking hit than anything off SOS but “Bill” and “Snooze” — the latter of which is still kicking at No. 9 on the Hot 100, in its 63rd week on the chart.

Does “Saturn” seem like a long-lasting hit? And what, if anything, does it tell us about what we can expect from the rest of Lana? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.

1. “Saturn” debuts at No. 6 on the Hot 100 this week. Is that higher, lower, or about where you would’ve expected for her first new single following the blockbuster success of SOS? 

Hannah Dailey: No. 6 is a fantastic debut, and right about where I’d expect someone as huge as SZA to land with a deluxe track presumably from a reissue of an album that’s already well over a year old.  

Kyle Denis: I would say this is about where I would have expected it. Had this song dropped the night of the Grammys (during which SZA debut “Saturn” via a Mastercard commercial), it probably would have debuted a bit higher. There’s also the issue with the song’s mix getting updated after its initial release to DSPs, which resulted in a brief period of unavailability for the track. Regardless, a No. 6 debut for a relatively low-key release is certainly nothing to scoff at.

Jason Lipshutz: About where I would have expected, for a single that is preceding the Lana reissue of SOS but is not leading a whole new project. At this point, SZA is one of the biggest artists in popular music, so any new single debuting in the top 10 of the Hot 100 shouldn’t be a surprise, but “Saturn” doesn’t herald a long-awaited new full-length like “Kill Bill” (which debuted at No. 3) did with SOS, so a No. 6 start sounds about right. 

Andrew Unterberger: Yeah, No. 6 sounds about right — it’s roughly in line with where the pre-SOS singles debuted, which is pretty impressive this far into the album’s cycle and while the top five on the Hot 100 has been pretty competitive of late. She’s not quite in 2011 Teenage Dream territory where even the deluxe edition cuts are debuting at No. 1, but she’s not terribly far off, either.

Christine Werthman: It’s right where I would’ve expected it to land: solidly top 10, with room to grow. SZA doesn’t have throwaway songs, so whatever ends up on Lana, the deluxe version of SOS, will be worth checking for and will likely do some damage on the charts. 

2. “Saturn” is expected to be the first new taste of Lana, the upcoming deluxe reissue of SOS. Do you think it takes the SOS era to any particularly different or interesting new places, or does it more seem like a continuation of that album’s successes? 

Hannah Dailey: I lean more toward the latter – to me, “Saturn” feels almost like an epilogue to SOS, sonically and lyrically. The album finds SZA taking inventory of a lot of complex, difficult emotions and experiences, while the new track provides something of a thesis statement that ties them all together: “None of this matters.”  

Kyle Denis: For all intents and purposes, “Saturn” keeps us squarely in the SOS realm. Lyrically, she’s still in that place of self-deprecation laced with a touch of hope and a healthy dash of unflinching honesty. I think any song immediately post-SOS will feel like a continuation of that album’s success because it is. SOS lifted SZA’s career to new commercial heights and such a lofty debut for a less-than-seamless single release proves she’s operating at a different level now versus the years leading up to her sophomore album.

Jason Lipshutz: Based on “Saturn,” which sounds sonically and thematically in line with the primary vibe of SOS, Lana may very well be, understandably, a continuation of one of the most successful album eras of the past decade. Of course, SOS also contained plenty of stylistic curveballs, from the pop-rock of “F2F” to the alternative of “Ghost in the Machine” to the folk-pop of “Special,” so I wouldn’t expect Lana to sound like a monolith, either. I think we’re in store for a project that serves as a hard-earned victory lap, and a suggestion for where SZA might be heading next.

Andrew Unterberger: Yeah I’ll let the more astrologically inclined SZAlogists determine what “Saturn” truly portends about her new era — for me, mostly sounds like a very strong leftover.

Christine Werthman: “Saturn” comfortably floats alongside the other SOS tracks, with its atmospheric vibe — but it takes a whimsical turn, largely thanks to the arpeggiated, harp-like melody running underneath. I also like the idea of SZA looking out into the universe and demanding more for herself, as she sings, “There’s got to be more, got to be more.” 

3. Do you see “Saturn” becoming a long-lasting hit like the biggest SOS singles, or do you think interest in it will mostly recede from here (at least until the full Lana release)? 

Hannah Dailey: I’m not sure how far “Saturn” will travel, but I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up being a slow burn hit akin to “Snooze.” It doesn’t make a huge lyrical or melodic statement the way “Kill Bill” did, but the song’s stacked harmonies and psychedelic vibes make it super replay-worthy and I can see the lyrics being full of opportunities for TikTok trends. 

Kyle Denis: I think it all depends on how invested she and her label are in this song. There was really fervent interest in “Saturn” when the commercial first aired, so now it’s time to capture that energy and stoke it with a music video and a radio push if a long-lasting hit is the goal here.

Jason Lipshutz: “Saturn” has snuck up on me — on first listen, I thought it would be a bonus track that fades into the ether of her greater discography, but its ethereal production, halting pre-chorus and far-reaching hook have called me back for more repeat listens than expected. I shouldn’t be surprised, though, since neither “Kill Bill” or “Snooze” were immediate standouts for me on SOS, and now sound positively indispensable in telling the story of SZA and her sophomore album. Who knows if “Saturn” can run in the top 10 for months like “Kill Bill” and “Snooze” have, but at this point, I’m willing to bet that it’s another pretty big hit.

Andrew Unterberger: If there’s one thing we should have learned about SZA by now, it’s that she doesn’t really do flash-in-the-pan hits — she does long, slow braises. Without a major viral moment to continue its immediate acceleration, “Saturn” may fall back some from its initial debut, but it ain’t going away anytime soon: This thing will slowly but surely burrow its way into the hearts and playlists of listeners and radio programmers, just like the last 47 SZA singles have.

Christine Werthman: I think it has the potential to endure, especially in a live performance. I imagine hearing it in a show, those twinkling notes offering a reprieve from some of the more bass-heavy songs, cuing a shift in the lighting — a gentle disruptor in the setlist. “Saturn” is light on its feet, and there’s not a ton of that in SZA’s repertoire, so I think it has a solid place in the catalog. 

4. Speaking of those biggest SOS hits — “Snooze” is still in the Hot 100’s top 10 this week, its 24th week in the region, and 63rd on the Hot 100 in general. We’re officially out of fan-favorite sleeper hit territory now — do you think we’ll remember it as a career-defining smash for SZA? 

Hannah Dailey: Absolutely. The ability to score a guns-blazing hit single is just as impressive as crafting a song that sneaks up on people with its longevity, and “Snooze” has proved that SZA is an ultimate superstar capable of both. In that way, “Snooze” is just as much a testament to her legacy as “Kill Bill.” 

Kyle Denis: Easily. I’d even go as far as to say that for a sizable number of listeners, “Snooze” has long surpassed “Kill Bill” as the quintessential SOS song. In fact, there’s a strong argument to name “Snooze” as the defining SZA song, period.

Jason Lipshutz: Obviously “Kill Bill” acted as the breakout hit of SOS and became SZA’s first Hot 100 chart-topper, but “Snooze” has helped sustain the chart run of the album for several more months and is still going strong more than a year after its release. “Snooze” is more subtle than “Kill Bill” but no less sumptuous, and features one of SZA’s most vulnerable SOS vocal performances; it’s not the most immediate choice for a multi-quadrant smash, but that’s where it’s ended up, and deservedly so. When we look back at SZA’s career as a hitmaker, “Snooze” will be crucial in telling her story.

Andrew Unterberger: It was nowhere near immediate, but now it seems head-smackingly obvious that “Snooze” was destined for all-time greatness — very arguably the defining R&B smash of the 2020s thus far. It’s increasingly clear that SZA is not an artist whose work (or whose impact) can be judged without the benefit of months (maybe years) of hindsight. In fact, if you want to disregard pretty much everything we’re saying here about “Saturn” a week and change after its release, we couldn’t really blame you.

Christine Werthman: I truly did not expect “Snooze” to blow up when I first heard it on SOS. Shows how much I know. So, do I think “Snooze” will be remembered as a career-defining smash? I mean, originally, no, but now, yes?! Here’s my case for it: super chill, romantic song, plus a spicy, cameo-filled music video, all combining to fuel its longevity. Hindsight is 20/20, people.  

5. What’s something you’d like to hear or see from SZA during the rest of the Lana rollout?  

Hannah Dailey: I’ll be most impressed if Lana can add to the story of SOS, or make us revisit SOS in a new, unexpected way. There’s no doubt that the songs on Lana will be good, I just hope they don’t sound like a handful of random tracks that simply didn’t make the cut the first time around.

Kyle Denis: I’d like to be super surprised and hear new tracks that we haven’t gotten snippets or leaks of yet. I also think it would be really fun to put out a version of “F2F” with a little more Lizzo. She’s already in the credits there and the two have made magic before with the “Special” remix, so that would be a welcome addition to Lana.

Jason Lipshutz: Give me an even harder pivot towards pop-punk than “F2F” — something that wouldn’t sound out of place at Warped Tour. I adore “F2F” and would love for SZA to dive even deeper down that rabbit hole, if only for one song on a deluxe-edition release. Call up Travis Barker and let’s get rolling!

Andrew Unterberger: I don’t say this about many R&B artists, but I’d love to see SZA do a classic cover or two. She’s such a new-school R&B singer-songwriter, and her greatness is so wrapped up in her lyrical relatability, but what older songs does she wish she had originally penned or performed? What would her version of Erykah Badu’s “On & On” sound like? 112’s “Cupid”? Shawn Colvin’s “Sunny Came Home”? I hesitate to even predict, since I’m sure she’d go a completely different direction than what I’d expect — but regardless, I’d love to hear where that would take her.

Christine Werthman: I’m down for more SZA in space: dreamy, ethereal, but still weighted by her no-BS lyricism. The best of both planes.