SZA Releases Music Video for ‘Shirt’
Solana has returned, just in time for Scorpio season, and, well, she’s just as disorderly as ever. While “Shirt” isn’t exactly new โ she first teased it on Instagram in October 2020, producing a TikTok dance challenge that resulted in her fanbase naming the song โ this is the song’s official release after a lengthy existence on the short-form platform. There is something enticing about an unrequited love, the kind that completely envelops you, robs you of your dignity, and leaves you obsessed: “I’ve been so lost without you by my sideโฆ guide me, and don’t look back. It is entirely about you “The first verse features SZA singing over heavy subs, a boomy drum break, and glitchy hi-hats produced by the one and only Darkchild and producer/guitarist Freaky Rob. SZA is well-versed in the destructive depths of love and conveying its all-consuming intensity through her music.
She sings in the chorus, “Still don’t know my worth / Still stressin’ perfection / Let you all in my mental / Got me lookin’ too desperate, damn,” which reveals a salient awareness within this cloud of delusion. The mini film, directed by Dave Meyers and starring LaKeith Stanfield, captures the criminal exploits of a contemporary Bonnie and Clyde. She exposes all of her vulnerabilities, flaws, and wounds. She has no fear of being observed. At the end of the video, in typical SZA fashion, she provides a preview of a new song featuring finger-picked acoustic guitar and light strings (the internet has dubbed it “Blind”), possibly soft-launching her long-awaited follow-up to the era-defining CTRL.
