After yet another short hiatus from TDE’s female phenom SZA, the generational songstress delivered her first solo track of the year in “I Hate U” (Dec. 3).
Originally uploading the track to SoundCloud back in August, the passionately-sung breakup anthem quickly gained popularity on social media, as “I Hate U” soared to the top of Apple Music’s charts this past weekend — earning a No. 1 berth on the platform’s Global 100 chart.
Y’all really made my biggest debut a SoundCloud jam and I dunno how to say thank you enuff 🥲😩🧡 sorry if it’s annoying BUT I REALLY AM SO THANKFUL AHHHH PLAY I HATE CHU TIL HE HATE CHU 😭😈 pic.twitter.com/Bi2bF0pzwU
— SZA (@sza) December 4, 2021
One thing ab y’all .y’all gon take a song that wasn’t a single and make it a single !!😭 🙏🏾🙏🏾THANK YOU !!!!🥺🥺 fuck . #1 STREAM I HATE YOUUU NAOOWWW 🤌🏾 pic.twitter.com/OdNrgeLr9y
— SZA (@sza) December 3, 2021
SZA via Instagram.
— SZA CRAVE (@SZACRAVE) December 5, 2021
“Hey Siri? What’s the #1 song in the world? ☺️” pic.twitter.com/BINJZGs901
This marks her first solo release since sharing “Good Days” on Christmas 2020. While SZA continues to work on her highly-anticipated sophomore LP, fans haven’t been starving for SZA content, as she lent her voice on a pair movie soundtracks for Dear Evan Hansen and Space Jam: A New Legacy.
Despite her lack of another full-length project, she’s stayed busy all throughout 2021, touting collaborations with Isaiah Rashad, Doja Cat, Summer Walker, James Blake and more. In late September, Kali Uchis tapped the singer for a bilingual banger titled “fue mejor.” Its accompanying visuals depict film-level scenery with an appearance from Don Toliver.
“I Hate U” is a quintessential breakup song — masking the unpleasantness of a relationship ending sour with SZA’s serene delivery. TikTok popularized the track prior to its release, with men and women both expressing their distaste for those who scorned them as the track plays in the background.
Listen to ‘I Hate U’ by SZA below!
