SZA and Hayley Williams of Paramore are two of the most iconic vocal powerhouses of our times, providing the soundtrack to countless post-breakup all-nighters the world over. Now, after years of rumors, they’re officially teaming up for a collab that will undoubtedly enact psychological damage on an untold number of emo kids of all ages.
In a new Q&A with Apple Music posted to TikTok, the R&B singer was asked if fans could look forward to a collaboration with Paramore. “Yeah!” she responded. “Soon, soon, it’s in the works.” It was the briefest answer, and we still don’t know what the nature of that collab will look like, but it’s an incredibly exciting prospect nonetheless.
The singer has previously expressed interest in working with SZA. In an August 2023 episode of the podcast Black People Love Paramore, the host asked Williams if there were any Black artists that she would want to collaborate with. Williams responded, “It’s been SZA for a long time.”
“I love her voice,” the Paramore frontwoman said, adding that at the time, she’d been “sending the texts” to ask to collab “weekly at this point.” Guess all those texts paid off, and we thank Williams for her service.
On her latest album, SOS, SZA made her own foray into the guitar-driven sounds that Williams is known for, as heard on the pop-punk banger “F2F” and the acoustic waltz “Nobody Gets Me.” The singer actually called on Williams for her guidance in branching out into new sonic territory, as she revealed in a December 2022 interview with People.
“And for each of those genres I would text people like Hayley Williams and be like, ‘Does it sound like I'm trying to do something that I shouldn't be doing, or does it sound organic? Because it felt really natural to me, but you’re the queen of this, how does it sound to you?’" SZA told the magazine. “And she’d be like, ‘This is perfect.’”
Sounds like this collab may have been inevitable. We’ll be eagerly awaiting the day that it drops, but in the meantime, we have plenty from SZA to look forward to. Her highly-anticipated Apple Music Live Show will finally premiere tonight at 10 p.m. EST, after the planned December release was delayed. She’s also set to perform at this Sunday’s Grammy Awards, where she is also nominated for nine awards. Last but not least, the singer will release Lana, which will feature unreleased tracks from SOS, at some point in 2024.
Get the best of what’s queer. Sign up for Them’s weekly newsletter here.