Read Your Texts, SZA. This Artist Wants To Collaborate With You

Paramore’s lead singer, Hayley Williams, is trying to get in contact with SZA and fans want to make this happen.

Williams went on the podcast Black People Love Paramore talk about her musical roots, her growth as an artist, and why the Black community loves her band’s alternative rock music so much. While host Sequoia Holmes’ show explores niches and interests of the Black community, this episode truly topped all episodes with an interview with lead singer of the band that inspired the podcast’s name. And while fans of the show (and Paramore) appreciated the moment, a clip from the interview has sent the internet into a frenzy. 

Holmes asked Williams, “is there one Black music artist that you would love to collab with?” and the Grammy winner said, without hesitation, one three letter name: SZA.

“It’s been SZA for a long time because I love her voice,” Williams said in the interview. 

Williams is like all of us and is a fan of SZA’s ethereal vocals that dazzle across multiple genres. Williams, a powerhouse vocalist, has stated in many interviews how R&B, gospel, and Black artists have influenced her. However, Williams alluded that because of Paramore’s start and success within alternative rock music, she wasn’t given opportunities for features outside of the genre. 

“I was saying recently to someone because we grew up in the scene that we grew up in, I rarely get asked to do features for things I feel like really get down to my core,” Williams elaborated. “So I’m still like keeping my eye out for, whether that be new artists or older established artists, but probably people who do groovier sh*t.”

Williams’ claim to fame comes from being the front woman of Paramore since 2004. The band’s original lineup has changed over the years, but Williams has secured her spot as the band’s lead vocalist across all 6 of Paramore’s albums. While doing so, she’s also been featured on songs outside of Paramore’s discography and genre, collaborating with rapper B.o.B. (“Airplanes”), EDM producer and DJ Zedd (“Stay the Night”), and, most recently, pop star Taylor Swift (“Crumbling Castles”). 

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“LGBTQIA+ contributions and creativity are foundational to every genre of modern song and arts performance.”

So, Williams has no trouble shifting genres, but it looks like folks in the music industry see her as one-note. But if anyone has listened to Williams’ music (and her powerful vocal range), listeners would beg to differ.

Still, Williams understands that fans and the music industry would rather have a “‘Misery Business’ version” of her. But if anyone listens to her casually singing Erykah Badu’s “Didn’t Cha Know” while washing clothes or her cover of SZA’s “Drew Barrymore”, then everyone would be flooding SZA’s inbox with DMs. But for some reason, SZA nor her team are responding to Williams’ text messages and we need that to change. 

“SZA has, for about six years now, been the one. I’m sending the texts weekly, at this point.”

If SZA can collaborate with Phoebe Bridgers, Post Malone, Kali Uchis, Maroon 5, and Willow, surely there’s room for Williams. Fans thinks so too, as they’ve been calling out for SZA’s attention, so she can give it to Williams.

Please respond to that text, SZA.