Pop stars Lizzo and SZA have teamed up to say, In case nobody told you today / You’re special.
Videos by American Songwriter
The two recently came together to remix Lizzo’s smash hit, “Special,” the title track from her Grammy-nominated album. The remix marks the first time the pair of powerhouse vocalists have collaborated and the result is well … special.
The re-imagining houses the same uplifting message just with an added opening verse à la SZA. Woke up this morning to somebody judging me / No surprise they judging me, don’t know who I’m ‘posed to be / I’m just acting up, I’m pressed as fuck and never saying sorry / Found it in the end, I can only do it for me, sings the R&B star behind the latest chart-shattering success, S.O.S. You call sensitive and I call it superpower / You just like empathy ’cause you think it gives you power / All I know is only God can judge me / I don’t hide my heart, I wear it on me.
SZA lends her voice throughout the tune, providing beautiful, impassioned flourishes in between Lizzo’s commanding lyrics. Listen to the remix below.
Lizzo’s Special garnered four Grammy nominations at this year’s ceremony on February 5, where she also performed a gospel version of the title track on the Grammy stage.
The night was a big one for the star. She was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for the smash hit release. She also received a nod for Song of the Year for “About Damn Time,” taking home Record of the Year for the same hit.
“This is so unexpected!” she said of the win, which she dedicated to the late legend Prince. “When we lost Prince I decided to dedicate my life to making positive music … I wanted to make the world a better place, so I had to be that change, to make the world a better place.”
In her acceptance speech, she also praised a musical hero and fellow nominee Beyonce. “Beyoncé, in the fifth grade I skipped school to see you perform,” she said to the crowd, addressing the star. “You changed my life. … The way you made me feel, I was like, ‘I want to make people feel this way with my music.’ So thank you so much Beyonce. You clearly are the artist of our lives!”
Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
