"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 (Joseph Pincus), &
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.
Background
SZA released her debut studio album, ''
Ctrl'', in 2017. Primarily an
R&B album that deals with themes like heartbreak, it received widespread acclaim for SZA's vocal performance, the musical style, and the songwriting. The album brought SZA to mainstream fame, and critics credit it with establishing her as a major figure in contemporary pop and R&B music and pushing the boundaries of R&B. Her next studio album was highly anticipated, and she alluded to its completion as early as August 2019, during an interview with DJ
Kerwin Frost.
Commenting on the creative process behind the album, SZA stated it would be just 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." When SZA collaborated with
''Cosmopolitan'' for their February 2021 issue, she spoke about her creative process for the album: "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.
From April to May 2022, SZA told media outlets that she had recently finished the album in
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
and said it was her most relatable or "unisex" body of work as of then. During an interview with ''
Complex'', she described the album's composition: "I have no idea what it sounds like to anybody else. I really don't know. It's so bizarre. It's weird that I can't put my finger on it. It's a little bit of everything", and she added that certain tracks on the album had a soft or balladic sound.
During a ''
Billboard'' cover story published in November, SZA revealed that the title of her second album was ''
SOS'', and it was scheduled for release sometime the following month. On December 3, 2022, she announced it would be released on December 9, and two days later, she posted the track list on
Twitter. Out of 23 songs, "Low" appears as the album's fourth track.
Music and production
"Low" was written and recorded around Thanksgiving 2022.
The song was produced by
Alessandro Buccellati, Rob Bisel and Aire Atlantica, who used
AutoTune on SZA's vocals.
Release and reception
The song reached the top 40 in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States, with chart peaks of number 34,
number 21,
number 36,
and number 17,
respectively. It peaked at number 6 on ''
Billboard''s
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
chart;
out of 20 songs from ''SOS'' that debuted in the United States, "Low" was the fourth highest, behind "
Kill Bill", "
Nobody Gets Me", and "
Blind". On February 7, 2023, it, along with three other songs from ''SOS'', were
certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
for surpassing 500,000 units sold. On April 7, 2023, it was certified platinum by them for 1,000,000 units sold and in 2025, double platinum.
''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' called "Low" a "strip club anthem".
Live performances
SZA included "Low" on set lists of the
SOS Tour.
It was also part of her set for
Glastonbury 2024, where was one of the headliners. In 2025, SZA embarked on the co-headlining
Grand National Tour (2025) with rapper
Kendrick Lamar, performing "Low" during the concerts' fourth act.
Accolades
Credits
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of ''SOS''.
Recording and management
* Engineered at
Westlake Studio A (Los Angeles, California)
* Mixed at The Gift Shop (
DTLA)
* Mastered at Becker Mastering (Pasadena, California)
Personnel
* Solána Rowe (
SZA) lead vocals, songwriting
* Rob Bisel songwriting, production,
keyboards, additional vocals,
engineering
Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
*
Alessandro Buccellati songwriting, production, keyboards,
accordion, additional vocals
* Joseph Pincus (Aire Atlantica) songwriting, production,
drum programming
*
Jocelyn A. Donald songwriting
*
Travis Scott additional vocals
* Derek "206derek" Anderson vocal engineering and
mixing
* Robert N. Johnson assistant engineering
* Jon Castelli mixing
* Josh Deguzman engineering
* Dale Becker
mastering
* Katie Harvey assistant mastering
* Noah McCorkle assistant mastering
Note
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Notes
References
{{SZA songs
2022 songs
SZA songs
Songs written by SZA
Trap music songs