Low (SZA song)

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"Low"
Song by SZA
from the album SOS
WrittenNovember 2022
ReleasedDecember 9, 2022 (2022-12-09)
RecordedNovember 2022
Genre
Length3:01
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Lyric video
"Low" on YouTube

"Low" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from her second album, SOS (2022). The song features adlibs from American rapper Travis Scott. It charted in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, with a number 24 peak on the Billboard Global 200. The song received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 66th ceremony.

Background[edit]

SZA released her debut studio album, Ctrl, in 2017. Primarily an R&B album that deals with themes like heartbreak, it received widespread acclaim for SZA's vocal performance, the musical style, and the songwriting. The album brought SZA to mainstream fame, and critics credit it with establishing her as a major figure in contemporary pop and R&B music and pushing the boundaries of R&B.[note 1] Her next studio album was highly anticipated,[8][9] and she alluded to its completion as early as August 2019,[10][11] during an interview with DJ Kerwin Frost.[12]

Commenting on the creative process behind the album, SZA stated it would be just as candid and personal as Ctrl: "This next album is even more of me being less afraid of who am I when I have no choice? When I'm not out trying to curate myself and contain."[13] When SZA collaborated with Cosmopolitan for their February 2021 issue, she spoke about her creative process for the album: "this album is going to be the shit that made me feel something in my...here and in here", pointing to her heart and gut.[14]

From April to May 2022, SZA told media outlets that she had recently finished the album in Hawaii and said it was her most relatable or "unisex" body of work as of then.[15] During an interview with Complex, she described the album's composition: "I have no idea what it sounds like to anybody else. I really don't know. It's so bizarre. It's weird that I can't put my finger on it. It's a little bit of everything", and she added that certain tracks on the album had a soft or balladic sound.[16]

During a Billboard cover story published in November, SZA revealed that the title of her second album was SOS, and it was scheduled for release sometime the following month.[17] On December 3, 2022, she announced it would be released on December 9, and two days later, she posted the track list on Twitter. Out of 23 songs, "Low" appears as the album's fourth track.[18][19]

Music and production[edit]

SZA performing at Ctrl the Tour

"Low" was written and recorded around Thanksgiving 2022.[20] The song was produced by Alessandro Buccellati, Rob Bisel and Aire Atlantica, who used AutoTune on SZA's vocals.[4][21]

Release and reception[edit]

The song reached the top 40 in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States, with chart peaks of number 34,[22] number 21,[23] number 36,[24] and number 17,[25] respectively. It peaked at number 6 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart;[26] out of 20 songs from SOS that debuted in the United States, "Low" was the fourth highest, behind "Kill Bill", "Nobody Gets Me", and "Blind".[27] On February 7, 2023, it, along with three other songs from SOS, were certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for surpassing 500,000 units sold.[28] On April 7, 2023, it was certified platinum by them for 1,000,000 units sold.[29]

Time called "Low" a "strip club anthem".[30]

Accolades[edit]

Table of awards and nominations received by "Low"
Year Award Category Result Ref.
2024 Grammy Awards Best Melodic Rap Performance Nominated [31]

Credits[edit]

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of SOS.[32]

Recording and management

  • Engineered at Westlake Studio A (Los Angeles, California)
  • Mixed at The Gift Shop (DTLA)
  • Mastered at Becker Mastering (Pasadena, California)

Personnel

  • Solána Rowe (SZA) – lead vocals, songwriting
  • Rob Bisel – songwriting, production, keyboards, additional vocals, engineering
  • Alessandro Buccellati – songwriting, production, keyboards, accordion, additional vocals
  • Joseph Pincus (Aire Atlantica) – songwriting, production, drum programming
  • Jocelyn A. Donald – songwriting
  • Travis Scott[a] – additional vocals
  • Derek "206derek" Anderson – vocal engineering and mixing (for Scott)
  • Robert N. Johnson – assistant engineering
  • Jon Castelli – mixing
  • Josh Deguzman – engineering (for mix)
  • Dale Becker – mastering
  • Katie Harvey – assistant mastering
  • Noah McCorkle – assistant mastering

Note

  1. ^ Appears courtesy of Epic Records

Charts[edit]

Weekly charts[edit]

Weekly chart performance for "Low"
Chart (2022–2023) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[22] 24
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[23] 21
Global 200 (Billboard)[33] 24
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[24] 36
UK Singles (OCC)[34] 78
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[35] 36
US Billboard Hot 100[25] 17
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[26] 6

Year-end charts[edit]

Year-end chart performance for "Low"
Chart (2023) Position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[36] 93
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[37] 28
US Streaming Songs (Billboard)[38] 66

Certifications[edit]

Certifications for "Low"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[39] Gold 35,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[40] Platinum 40,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[41] Gold 40,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[42] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[29] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Cited to multiple sources[1][2][3][4][5][6][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. ^ a b 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 January 5, 2023.
  9. ^ Kornhaber, Spencer (December 14, 2022). "What Gives SZA Her Edge". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on December 26, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  10. ^ Robinson, Ellie (June 7, 2021). "SZA Reveals She 'Burst Into Tears' During a Rehearsal of '20 Something'". NME. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  11. ^ Alston, Trey (January 3, 2020). "SZA Is Dropping a New Album This Year but When Is Beyond Her Ctrl". MTV News. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  12. ^ Reese, Alexis (August 20, 2019). "SZA Reveals Sophomore Album Is On the Way". Vibe. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  13. ^ Schatz, Lake (August 20, 2019). "SZA Says New Album Coming 'Soon as F*ck'". Consequence. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  14. ^ Kenneally, Cerys (January 5, 2021). "SZA Says New Album Will Feature Material That Made Her Feel Something in Her Heart and Gut". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  15. ^ Kenneally, Cerys (April 4, 2022). "SZA Says New Album Is 'Finished' and Describes It as Her 'Most Unisex' Project Yet". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  16. ^ Blake, Cole (October 16, 2022). "SZA Confirms 'Shirt' Music Video Is on the Way: 'It's Turned In'". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  17. ^ Serrano, Athena (November 16, 2022). "SZA Is 'Currently Stressed' About Releasing New Album S.O.S.". MTV News. Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  18. ^ Curto, Justin (December 5, 2022). "SZA Puts Fans on Alert, Announces New Album S.O.S". Vulture. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  19. ^ Paul, Larisha (December 5, 2022). "SZA Taps Phoebe Bridgers, Travis Scott for S.O.S Album". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  20. ^ Hiatt, Brian (January 29, 2023). "The Making of SZA's Chart-Topping SOS". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  21. ^ Amorosi, A. D. (December 9, 2022). "SZA Sends Out an SOS That Will Be an Emergency Addition to Everyone's 10-Best Lists: Album Review". Variety. Archived from the original on December 17, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  22. ^ a b "SZA – Low". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  23. ^ a b "SZA Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  24. ^ a b "SZA – Low". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  25. ^ a b "SZA Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  26. ^ a b "SZA Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  27. ^ Zellner, Xander (December 20, 2022). "SZA Debuts 20 Songs From SOS on Hot 100, Rules Artist 100 for First Time". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  28. ^ Abraham, Mya (February 7, 2023). "SZA's Reign At No. 1 Thwarted By K-Pop Group, Tomorrow X Together". Vibe. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  29. ^ a b "American single certifications – SZA – Low". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  30. ^ Chow, Andrew R.; Mendez II, Moises (December 9, 2022). "Was SZA's SOS Worth the Wait? Breaking Down Its Best Songs and Big Themes". Time. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  31. ^ "Grammy Nominations 2024: See the Full List Here". Pitchfork. November 10, 2023. Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  32. ^ SZA (2023). SOS (vinyl liner notes). Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records. 19658-77921-1.
  33. ^ "SZA Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  34. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  35. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  36. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  37. ^ "Year-End Charts – Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs 2023". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 22, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  38. ^ "Year-End Charts – Streaming Songs 2023". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 22, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  39. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  40. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – SZA – Low" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  41. ^ "Canadian single certifications – SZA – Low". Music Canada. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  42. ^ "British single certifications – SZA – Low". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
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