“Hit Different” by SZA (ft. Ty Dolla $ign)

On this song SZA refers to the addressee as a “wild one”, but we know that she’s pretty uninhibited herself. And it is that side of her personality which is on full display in “Hit Different”.

The way the lyrics read, she is in a romantic relationship with the addressee despite the fact that they are both committed to other people. Or stated differently, they are each other’s sidepieces.

But this isn’t one of those songs in which the singer is lying in bed, crying over the fact that she can’t be with the one she truly loves. Nay, to the contrary – SZA doesn’t really give AF. And basically what she is saying is that she is in fact in love with this dude, as he is a reflection of herself. But at the end of the day, she knows in her heart that she shouldn’t be falling for him. This is not because she is concerned about the illicitness of their relationship or anything like that. Rather it’s more like she knows the romance will ultimately end in the bad place. And the title of the track appears to be indicative of the “different” mood swings she goes through as a result of the nature of this relationship.

So conclusively, saying this song is based on a love triangle would not do it proper justice. It’s more like both the singer and the addressee are in open relationships. And the singer, somewhat to her dismay, has really fallen for the addressee. Moreover, no matter her misgivings or insecurities, she does in fact want to be with him.

Facts about “Hit Different”

“Hit Different” came out on September 4th, 2020 via Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records. The release of the track caught fans by surprise, as SZA only teased it minutes before it was dropped. Prior to that, many of her followers were actually under the impression that she had beef with her label, Top Dawg Entertainment.

Sza directed the music video to “Hit Different” herself.

This track was produced by one of music’s greatest production teams, The Neptunes. And the individual members of that duo (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo) also co-wrote the song alongside Rob Bisel, Ty Dolla and SZA.

“Hit Different” marks SZA and Ty Dolla’s first collaboration, with the latter playing more of a backup role on the song.