"F2F" | |
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Song by SZA | |
from the album SOS | |
Released | December 9, 2022 |
Genre | |
Length | 3:06 |
Label | |
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Lyric video | |
"F2F" on YouTube |
"F2F" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from her second studio album, SOS (2022). "F2F" is a rock song that draws influence from genres such as country, pop rock, and grunge. SZA wrote the song with Lizzo, who provides background vocals, and producers Rob Bisel and Carter Lang. The song was one of around five rock-inspired songs SZA created for SOS, out of a desire to experiment with various genres outside of her usual R&B music. The song begins with acoustic guitar strums before transitioning into a chorus backed by drums and power chords from electric guitars. The lyrics talk about having sex with someone to cope with breaking up with a former partner.
SZA's experimentation with rock on the song was positively received. "F2F" was one of 20 tracks from SOS that debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100. Consequently, it became SZA's first song to debut atop Billboard's Alternative Streaming Songs chart.
The only reason I'm defined as an R&B artist is because I'm Black. It's almost a little reductive because it doesn't allow space to be anything else or try anything else [...] I simply just want to be allowed the same opportunity to make whatever I want without a label, [without it being] based on the colour of my skin [...] I want 'F2F' to be seen as what it is.
In 2017, SZA released her critically and commercially successful debut studio album, Ctrl . [2] [3] Throughout the years, critics have credited it as being innovative within the R&B genre, and for establishing her as a major figure in contemporary pop and R&B music. [a] In Ctrl, SZA spoke variously about romance, desire, and self-esteem, often in a vulnerable tone, as well as the many ways in which emotions like jealousy and intense desire can destroy them. [9] [10]
As SZA gained more recognition, she was consistently being labeled in several publications as an R&B musician. She took notice and was frustrated. In interviews, she often linked the specific categorization to stereotypes about Black women in music, saying that the label implied she was not allowed to make other forms of music. [11] [12] With her next studio album, SOS (2022), she wanted to incorporate an eclectic mix of distinct genres expand her pre-existing sound. [13] [8] Apart from the usual R&B, SZA experimented with rock and punk music; in a Consequence cover story, she remarked: "I love making Black music, period. Something that is just full of energy. Black music doesn't have to just be R&B. We started rock 'n' roll." [14]
Commenting on the creative process behind the album, SZA said it would be 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." [15] When SZA collaborated with Cosmopolitan for their February 2021 issue, she spoke about her creative process behind the album's conception: "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. [16]
Originally titled "Charlatan", [17] "F2F" was one of around five rock songs that SZA created for SOS. She explained to Rolling Stone that these songs contained heavily confessional lyrics that demonstrated several versions of herself: "They were all terrible in terms of, like, saying bad things about what I've done to people, but it sounded cool, and I think that's what all those songs are really about. Just being super honest and letting that out." [18] [19] Rob Bisel and Carter Lang, producers of "F2F", revealed that American singer and rapper Lizzo was coincidentally in the same studio as SZA when she recorded the song. [17] They added that it was one out of several songs on which the two collaborated during recording sessions; a few days prior, it was announced that Lizzo would feature on a song from the deluxe edition of SOS titled "BMF". [20]
According to music journalists, "F2F" can be classified as stadium rock, [21] [22] pop rock, [23] [24] pop punk, grunge, [25] and country. [22] [26] The first verse demonstrates its country influences—in it, SZA sings over acoustic guitar strums—after which drums and power chords from electric guitars appear for the chorus to indicate its punk and rock elements. [27] [22] Critics found the song reminiscent of rock music from the late 1990s to the early 2000s, [28] [29] drawing comparisons to artists like Avril Lavigne, [30] [31] Fefe Dobson, [32] [33] Paramore, [34] [35] and Liz Phair. [36]
To create "F2F", SZA freestyled or improvised lyrics over an initial version of the beat with Lizzo, who helped write the song's bridge and provided pitched-up background vocals. [17] She originally had a verse in the song, but it was removed for unspecified reasons. [37] The lyrics discuss having sex with people to cope with a rebound, or a period of time after the end of a romantic relationship. [38]
On December 3, 2022, SZA appeared on Saturday Night Live and announced SOS would be released on December 9. Two days later, she posted the track list on Twitter. Out of 23 songs, "F2F" appears as the album's 13th track. [39] [40]
SZA included "F2F" regularly during her international SOS Tour from 2023 to 2024; while performing, she would headbang onstage with her guitarist. [41] [42] She also had the song on her headlining set for Glastonbury 2024. [43]
After the release of SOS, 20 tracks from the album debuted on the Billboard Hot 100. Among of them was "F2F", which was the 16th highest charting track; it debuted at number 55 and helped increase SZA's total amount of chart entries to 37. [44] It was bolstered by around 13.7 million streams in its first opening week; with these streaming numbers, the song debuted atop Billboard's Alternative Streaming Songs chart, her first number 1 there. [45] Alternative Songs is a component chart of Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, on which "F2F" peaked at number 3. [46]
Many critics considered SZA's genre experimentation with "F2F" a success. [47] Isabella Sarmiento, writing for NPR, picked "F2F" as one of the best songs of 2022. [48]
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of SOS. [49]
Recording and management
Personnel
Chart (2022) | Peak position |
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Australia (ARIA) [50] | 87 |
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [51] | 54 |
Global 200 ( Billboard ) [52] | 69 |
Portugal (AFP) [53] | 182 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [54] | 55 |
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs ( Billboard ) [46] | 3 |
Chart (2023) | Position |
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US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard) [55] | 31 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Canada (Music Canada) [56] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [57] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Solána Imani Rowe, known professionally as SZA, is an American singer-songwriter. She first gained recognition through her self-released EPs See.SZA.Run (2012) and S (2013), which helped her become the first female artist to sign with Top Dawg Entertainment. Her third EP, Z (2014), was her first project to be released to digital retailers and reached the top-ten on the U.S. Independent Albums chart.
Ctrl is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter SZA. It was released on June 9, 2017, by Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) and RCA Records. The album features guest appearances from Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, James Fauntleroy, and Isaiah Rashad. Production was handled by Craig Balmoris, Frank Dukes, Carter Lang, Scum, and ThankGod4Cody, among others. The album was supported by five singles: "Drew Barrymore", "Love Galore", "The Weekend", "Broken Clocks", and "Garden ", all of which are certified Double Platinum or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
"Love Galore" is a song by American singer SZA featuring American rapper and singer Travis Scott. It was released through Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records as the second single from the former's debut studio album, Ctrl, on April 28, 2017. The two artists wrote the song with producers ThankGod4Cody, Carter Lang, and Scum, alongside Punch. "Love Galore" received widespread acclaim from music critics and a Grammy nomination at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. An alternate version of the song was included on the deluxe edition of Ctrl, released on the fifth anniversary of the album's release on June 9, 2022, which features an additional verse from SZA that replaces Scott's verse. "Love Galore" became SZA's breakout hit and a commercial success.
The discography of American singer-songwriter SZA consists of two studio albums, one reissue album, three extended plays (EPs), one live album, and 45 singles.
"Shirt" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA and the third single from her second studio album, SOS (2022). Produced by Darkchild and Freaky Rob, it is an R&B song, with elements of trap music, backed by synthesizers and 808 beats. The lyrics are about a toxic relationship that consumes SZA and entices her to return, despite leaving her directionless and mentally exhausted. They include themes present throughout SOS: deep introspection, the pursuit of perfection, and the conflict between love and hatred. A snippet of "Shirt", prior to its official release, spawned a viral dance challenge on TikTok, where over a million videos used the sound. After being first previewed online two years beforehand, the song was released on October 28, 2022.
"I Hate U" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA and the second single from her second studio album, SOS (2022). It was released on digital streaming platforms on December 3, 2021, after being uploaded on SoundCloud on August 22. "I Hate U" is an electro-R&B song with a "crunching", light instrumental, containing a relaxed, "ethereal" chorus, and hip hop-influenced verses. A break-up song, it finds SZA detailing what went wrong in a past relationship, expressing resentment towards an ex-partner but acknowledging that she still misses them.
Special is the fourth studio album by American rapper and singer Lizzo, released by Nice Life and Atlantic Records on July 15, 2022. It was preceded by the lead single "About Damn Time", released on April 14, 2022, which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and the top ten in twelve other countries.
"Blind" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from her second studio album, SOS (2022). It is a beatless R&B and folk-pop song, featuring an orchestral production that consists of acoustic guitars, violas, and trumpets. SZA's vocal performance combines a rap cadence and slow falsetto vocals, with added vocal runs. In the song, SZA explores the duality of love and muses on a former relationship, as she expresses her disappointment to a toxic past partner while also expressing her continued attraction to him. For the chorus, SZA admits her insecurities in spite of seeking validation through sex, feeling empty and unable to find self-love within herself as a result of a failed romance. "Blind" also incorporates several pop culture references to figures such as Bob Saget and Jesus.
"PSA" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA. It was intended to appear on her second studio album SOS (2022), as well as its reissue Lana (2024).
SOS is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter SZA. It was released on December 9, 2022, by Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records. The album features guest appearances from Don Toliver, Phoebe Bridgers, Travis Scott, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. SZA worked with a variety of record producers and songwriters such as Babyface, Jeff Bhasker, Rob Bisel, Benny Blanco, Darkchild, DJ Dahi, Ant Clemons, and Lizzo. It serves as the follow-up to SZA's debut album Ctrl (2017).
"Nobody Gets Me" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA and the fourth single from her second studio album, SOS (2022). It was sent to Italian radio on January 6, 2023, and US contemporary hit radio four days later. The song peaked at number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100, the Canadian Hot 100, and the Official New Zealand Music Chart.
"Kill Bill" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA and the fifth single from her second studio album, SOS (2022). It is a pop and R&B murder ballad, built around a midtempo, groovy rhythm and a detuned melody. Guitars, a bassline, and a flute that was sampled from a Prophet-6 synthesizer constitute the song's production, which is influenced by the boom bap subgenre of hip hop. Mirroring the plot of the Kill Bill film duology (2003–2004) after which the song is named, the lyrics discuss a fantasy to kill an ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend out of jealousy, and they employ humorous irony alongside violent imagery that contrasts with SZA's soft vocals. "Kill Bill" was sent to US radio on January 10, 2023, after achieving success on streaming services.
"Snooze" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA and the sixth single from her second studio album, SOS (2022). It is an R&B song with a midtempo rhythm, featuring an instrumental that consists of bass, guitars, drums, and synthesizers. The main vocals are complemented by several layers of harmonies beneath, and a riff appears at the song's beginning. The lyrics are about SZA's obsessive devotion to a love interest who does not reciprocate her intense feelings of yearning, despite her willingness to prove her love with violence. "Snooze" was sent to radio on April 25, 2023, and a four-track single was released on digital streaming platforms on August 25. An acoustic version featuring Justin Bieber followed on September 15.
"Ghost in the Machine" is a song by the American singer-songwriter SZA from her second studio album, SOS (2022), featuring the American singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers. The song is a ballad that falls within the indie pop and R&B genres; music critics described it as a cross between Bridgers's and SZA's respective sounds. Written in a conversational style, the lyrics express disillusionment with inauthentic relationships, the inhumane behavior of other people, and artificial intelligence. They also portray SZA asking her lover to provide an escape from a world she sees as having been consumed by vanity.
"Special" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from her second studio album, SOS (2022).
"Low" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from her second album, SOS (2022). It was written alongside Jozzy and producers Rob Bisel, Aire Atlantica, & Alessandro Buccellati, and features adlibs from fellow American singer and 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.
The SOS Tour was the second concert tour and first arena tour by American singer-songwriter SZA, in support of her second studio album, SOS (2022). It was announced on December 13 alongside merchandise for the album, four days after the album's release. The international tour took place in North America for the first and third legs, Europe for the second, and Oceania for the fourth, totalling to 63 shows.
"Smoking on My Ex Pack" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from her second studio album, SOS (2022). The second of the album's three rap tracks, it is a boom bap song with a chipmunk soul production style, fusing hard-hitting drum beats with a sped-up sample of Webster Lewis's "Open Up Your Eyes" (1981). Before SOS, SZA had been known as an R&B artist who made "sad girl" music, a narrative she wanted to dispel because she viewed it as reductive. Particularly, she believed her being categorized strictly as R&B was racially insensitive. As such, she wanted to experiment with "aggressive" hip hop music for SOS, leading to the conception of "Smoking on My Ex Pack". Its producer was Jay Versace, to whom SZA credited her first attempts at rap music.
"Open Arms" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from her second studio album, SOS (2022), featuring American rapper Travis Scott. It is a ballad backed by an acoustic guitar, conceived as part of an effort to explore soundscapes outside of SZA's usual R&B-leaning music. The lyrics are addressed to a former lover, whom the narrator leaves for the sake of her self-esteem despite her persistent feelings of attachment to him. A tribute to SZA's deceased grandmother, Norma Rowe, begins the song, done in the form of a skit; Rowe's vocals featured prominently on SZA's debut album, Ctrl (2017)
"BMF" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from Lana (2024), the reissue of her second studio album SOS (2022). It references Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'", both of which feature a "south Detroit" line, and interpolates the 1960s bossa nova single "The Girl from Ipanema". "BMF" was originally going to feature American singer and rapper Lizzo.