"SZNS" (pronounced "seasons") is a song by American singer

Dinah Jane Dinah Jane Milika Ilaisaane Hansen (; born June 22, 1997) is an American singer. She auditioned as a solo artist for the second season of ''The X Factor'' and later became a member of Fifth Harmony, which went on to become one of the best-selli ...

featuring American rapper

A Boogie wit da Hoodie Artist Julius Dubose (born December 6, 1995), known professionally as A Boogie wit da Hoodie or simply A Boogie, is an American rapper, and singer-songwriter. He released his debut studio album, '' The Bigger Artist'', via Atlantic Records in ...

. The song was released on July 25, 2019.

Background

"SZNS" follows the release of Dinah's eponymous three-track bundle in April, which showcased her creative growth with the confident " Heard It All Before", moody "Pass Me By", and confessional "Fix It". The song has 90's R&B vibes with verses such as "Summer through the winter, we been through it / Might fall, but spring back to it," that show an optimistic love of a romantic relationship. " Hey Ma" by

Cam'ron Cameron Ezike Giles (born February 4, 1976), known Mononym, mononymously as Cam'ron, is an American rapper. Beginning his career in the early 1990s as Killa Cam, Giles signed with Lance Rivera, Lance "Un" Rivera's Lance Rivera, Untertainment, a ...

(featuring

Juelz Santana LaRon Louis James Sr. (born February 18, 1982), better known by his stage name Juelz Santana, is an American rapper and member of now-defunct hip-hop group, the Diplomats (also known as Dipset). He is best known for his appearances on group coho ...

Freekey Zekey Ezekiel Jiles (born October 13, 1975), better known by his stage name Freekey Zekey, is an American rapper best known as a founding member of now-defunct hip-hop group the Diplomats, which he helped form in Harlem in 1997 alongside his childhoo ...

and

Toya Toya may refer to: Places *Tōya, Hokkaidō, a former village in Abuta District, Iburi, Hokkaidō, Japan *Tōyako, Hokkaidō, a town incorporating Tōya, Hokkaidō **Tōya Station (Tōyako), a railway station in Tōyako *Lake Tōya, a volcanic lak ...

) is introduced in the first verse as an interpolation to

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and embarked on his musical career in 1993 as a member of the Midwest hip hop g ...

and

Kelly Rowland Kelendria Trene Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's List of best-selling girl groups, best-selling gir ...

's "

Dilemma A dilemma () is a problem offering two possibilities, neither of which is unambiguously acceptable or preferable. The possibilities are termed the ''horns'' of the dilemma, a clichéd usage, but distinguishing the dilemma from other kinds of p ...

" and

Tupac Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

's "

Thugz Mansion "Thugz Mansion" is a song by 2Pac, released as a posthumous single with two known popular versions both released on the 2002 album ''Better Dayz''. It was nominated by the Source Awards for Single of the Year (Male Solo Artist). Overview Thugz ...

". The song paid homage to

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...

's song "

Always Be My Baby "Always Be My Baby" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her fifth studio album, ''Daydream'' (1995). Written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal, and produced by Carey and Dupri, It was released by Columbia Records o ...

." The track was recorded in the summer of 2018 but Jane chose to begin her solo career with the more energetic " Bottled Up" featuring

Marc E. Bassy Marc Griffin, known professionally as Marc E. Bassy, is an American singer and songwriter from the San Francisco Bay Area. He is the former vocalist of the Los Angeles-based pop band 2AM Club. His solo works include his 2014 mixtape ''Only the P ...

and

Ty Dolla Sign Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Griffin gai ...

that September. "SZNS" was always planned to be a duet but when originally recorded only featured a male demo singer alongside Jane; when her team suggested asking A Boogie wit da Hoodie to feature on the track Jane was instantly on board, saying that "his lyrics really spoke to me" for being "so raw, real and 100 percent vulnerable".

Reception

"SZNS" received generally positive reviews from critics. ''All Noise'' called the track "another great song" from Jane which "looks like another hit". Mike Neid, writing for ''

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolator or Idolater may also refer to: * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), a 2005 album by Blood Stain Child * ''Idolator'', a 1986 album by Ole Evenrud * "Idolater", a ...

'', complimented the song's "sweet production", calling it a "good match" for Jane's voice, and commented that "the duo does a great job sharing airspace on the track". Madeline Roth of

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

called "SZNS" "delightfully optimistic" and "refreshingly natural and fun" for breaking the "traditional formula" of collaborations with the two artists "sporadically" trading lines over the "sunny beat". ''HYPEBAEs Robyn Mowatt called the song a "riveting track" and praised the "vivid" R&B influences present on the track, calling the melody "catchy yet memorable".

References

2019 singles 2019 songs Dinah Jane songs A Boogie wit da Hoodie songs {{2019-single-stub Song recordings produced by J. R. Rotem Songs written by Dinah Jane Songs written by A Boogie wit da Hoodie Songs written by J. R. Rotem