DTM (song)

"DTM"
Song by SZA
from the album Lana
Written2023
Released2024
Recorded2023
Length1:27 (Apple Music Live version)[1]
Label
Producer(s)Carter Lang

"DTM" (also known as "Diamond Boy") is an upcoming song by American singer-songwriter SZA, reported to appear on her third studio album, Lana.

Background

[edit]

American singer-songwriter SZA released her second studio album SOS on December 9, 2022, to widespread acclaim and high commercial success.[2][3] It opened with a score of 94 on the review aggregate website Metacritic,[4] debuted atop the Billboard 200, broke a string of chart records, and spawned several career milestones.[5] SZA teased the imminent release of its deluxe version on Instagram upon SOS's release,[6] and she teased it again on a December 21 post, where she expressed gratitude for the album's number-one debut: "Imma take another swing at it for the deluxe then shut up for a while."[7]

SOS spawned six singles. The latest, "Snooze", was sent to radio in April 2023 after its slow-burn success on the Billboard Hot 100, with its music video released in August.[8][9] SZA teased the video a few weeks prior, posting two clips of behind-the-scenes footage soundtracked to unreleased music.[10] The same snippet appeared again in the music video's outro,[11] which continued SZA's tradition of previewing upcoming songs at the end of music videos.[12] Fans and publications began calling the song "OD" and "Diamond Boy",[13][14] and in a Rolling Stone interview, SZA revealed its official title as "DTM". She told the magazine the song would appear on the deluxe edition of SOS, entitled Lana.[15]

Music and lyrics

[edit]

SZA continued to make music after the release of SOS, working with producers such as Carter Lang on Lana during occasional bursts of creativity.[16] Work on "DTM" began in mid-2023, around when she shared the Instagram preview,[16] with a stripped-down demo of the entire song that featured only guitars, a bassline, and soft vocals infused with a rap cadence.[17] After SZA recorded the demo, she sent it to Lang, who created a call and response between SZA and the music by adding other instruments around her melody such as drums[17][18] and keyboards.[19] The song was finished around August, about a week after its first teaser.[16] The first parts of the final product are acoustic, and the drums appear later in the song.[20]

"DTM" gets its name from its line "Am I doing too much?"[16][21] Meanwhile, the fan-titled "Diamond Boy" comes from the lyrics "Diamond boy, why you so shiny? / Diamond boy, come get behind me."[22] "DTM" is a ballad about love; according to SZA, it was the first love song she could remember writing about someone she "actively liked", which she did during the "thick of the romance".[17]

Release

[edit]

"DTM" was originally set to be released as part of a single bundle for "Snooze",[16] before an acoustic version of "Snooze" featuring Canadian musician Justin Bieber was recorded and released in September, delaying the release of Lana and "DTM" as its lead single.[15][17] In the meantime, SZA performed "DTM" in some shows of the SOS Tour,[23][24] and prior to that, she debuted the song during an exclusive concert at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in celebration of SOS, where she announced Lana evolved into an album of its own.[25] Her performance of "DTM" at Brooklyn's Barclays Center during the SOS Tour was featured on a video series on Apple TV+ that premiered on February 1, 2024.[21][22]

In mid-March 2024, SZA teased another unreleased song via her Instagram, posting a video of her in a bikini as she poses in front of a camping tent and sings the lyrics. In the comments, one fan asked about where "DTM" was, to which SZA replied: "on the deluxe I’m bout to drop".[26][27]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Apple Music Live: SZA by SZA on Apple Music, January 31, 2024, archived from the original on February 22, 2024, retrieved February 28, 2024
  2. ^ Williams, Sophie (February 23, 2023). "How SZA Inspired a Generation of R&B Storytellers: 'She's a Radical Light'". NME. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  3. ^ Mitchell, Gail; Unterberger, Andrew (October 5, 2023). "Why SZA's SOS Could Bring R&B Back to the Grammys Big Four". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  4. ^ Espinoza, Joshua (December 11, 2022). "Here Are the First-Week Sales Projections for SZA's SOS". Complex. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  5. ^ Anderson, Trevor (December 9, 2023). "1 Year of SOS: 8 Records & Achievements for SZA's Blockbuster Album". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  6. ^ Calfee, Joel (December 11, 2023). "SZA Teases New Music with Mysterious Farm Photos on Instagram". Harper's Bazaar. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  7. ^ Peters, Mitchell (December 21, 2022). "SZA's Blown Away by the Success of SOS on Billboard Charts: 'Not What I Expected'". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  8. ^ Mamo, Heran (December 11, 2023). "What SZA's Long-Awaited Return Taught Us About the Future of R&B". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  9. ^ Unterberger, Andrew (September 26, 2023). "How Did SZA Score Two Simultaneous Top Five Hits Nine Months After SOS?". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  10. ^ Geraghty, Hollie (August 13, 2023). "SZA Teases Unreleased Song in 'Snooze' Music Video Preview". NME. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  11. ^ Bell, Sadie (August 25, 2023). "SZA Falls in and Out of Love with Justin Bieber in the Dreamy 'Snooze' Music Video". People. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  12. ^ Wilkes, Emma (August 25, 2023). "Watch Justin Bieber Appear in SZA's Music Video for 'Snooze'". NME. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  13. ^ Kelly, Tyler Damara (September 11, 2023). "SZA Reveals Forthcoming Deluxe Edition of Her Album, SOS, Is Called Lana". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  14. ^ Aswad, Jem (December 11, 2023). "SZA's New Album Lana: Everything We Know So Far". Variety. Archived from the original on December 21, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Helfand, Raphael (October 3, 2023). "SZA Cancelled Her VMAs Performance After Artist of the Year Snub, Manager Says". The Fader. Archived from the original on October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  16. ^ a b c d e Conteh, Mankaprr (October 3, 2023). "What's Behind SZA's Biggest Year Yet? Work, Wonder, and 'Weird Shit'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  17. ^ a b c d Abraham, Mya (October 3, 2023). "SZA Compares Upcoming Deluxe Album Lana to Lil Uzi Vert's LUV vs. the World 2". Vibe. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  18. ^ Meara, Paul (October 4, 2023). "SZA Compares Her Lana Deluxe Album to Lil Uzi Vert's LUV vs. the World 2". BET. Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  19. ^ Galindo, Thomas (August 25, 2023). "Justin Bieber Appears in SZA's New 'Snooze' Music Video". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  20. ^ Alexandria, Lavender (February 2, 2024). "SZA Performs An Unreleased Song During Her Apple Music Live". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on February 3, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  21. ^ a b Hawkins, Ruth (February 3, 2024). "SZA Shares Unreleased Track During Grammy Week Performance". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  22. ^ a b Rigotti, Alex (February 3, 2024). "Watch SZA Perform Unreleased Song 'DTM' for Apple Live". NME. Archived from the original on February 3, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  23. ^ Roa, Ray (September 23, 2023). "At Sold-Out Tampa Show, SZA Brings Healing, and Happiness, to Amalie Arena". Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. Archived from the original on December 26, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  24. ^ Olivier, Bobby (October 2, 2023). "SZA N.J. Concert Review: Inside the Huge SOS Tour Homecoming for Jersey's Hottest Star". NJ.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2024. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  25. ^ Aswad, Jem (December 11, 2023). "SZA's New Album Lana: Everything We Know So Far". Variety. Archived from the original on December 21, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  26. ^ Gonzalez, Alex (March 13, 2024). "SZA Sings About 'Community D*ck' on a New Snippet Teasing Lana, Which Is 'Bout to Drop'". Uproxx. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  27. ^ Blake, Cole (March 13, 2024). "SZA Says Lana Is ''Bout to Drop,' While Teasing New Song". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
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