Last year, SZA and Justin Timberlake revealed they linked up in the studio together. Today, the singers released their first collaboration, “The Other Side,” from the Trolls World Tour soundtrack. Timberlake co-produced the song with Ludwig Göransson, who is known for working with Childish Gambino and composing the score for Marvel’s Black Panther.
The ‘80s disco track debuted alongside a music video which pays tribute to the Hype Williams-directed videos from the '90s, with a fisheye lens and shiny bodysuits.
SZA opens the song by delivering an encouraging message:
You’re preachin' to the choir, stop hatin' on yourself
Quit playin' with your mind, you’re spinnin
If you think that I’m a liar, just try it for yourself
The clouds will open up, blue skies are willing
Both artists continue the theme on the chorus:
Back on your feet again, lift your head, hold it high
You wanna run it back, but you can’t turn the time
You start to feel like you’re losing your shine
But the grass ain’t always greener on the other side
On his verse, Timberlake shares some sage advice:
Hey you, stop stressin' ‘bout what you’re missin’
So blue, just take it easy, take your time
If you think my words are wise, just try it for yourself
I promise the stars will light the path you walk
In August 2019, SZA spoke about their studio session in an interview with Kerwin Frost.
“We made a really cool song and I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “We’re on the same label I heard, which I didn’t know until yesterday. And he was like, ‘I wanna work with you and I was like, ‘Why?’ And he was like, ‘Shut up, let’s just make stuff.’ And we did and it was really great.”
She continued by explaining their shared chemistry:
Before I was like, ‘What the fuck am I doing in the studio with Justin Timberlake right now? This is crazy.’ But when I heard his music and we started singing together and the harmonies and the note choices that we were finding together, it’s like, ‘Oh, we speak the same language. The same frequency.’ I understood where he was going before he could finish a run, and I wanted to be in that tandem.
Timberlake shared a behind-the-scenes video of their session on Instagram:
Trolls World Tour features Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake returning in their roles as Poppy and Branch, respectively. The Trolls sequel debuts in US theaters on April 17.
Watch the music video above, and read all the lyrics to SZA & Justin Timberlake’s “The Other Side” on Genius now.
