The Real Meaning Behind I Hate U By SZA

SZA sings of confused feelings a former lover left her with on "I Hate U." "I've been up, baby / Heavy reminiscin' / Heavy on the missin' you / Wish s*** was different than what it was / I've been up, baby / Lost in the lie of us / Lost, ain't no findin' us," she croons. The resentful lyrics harken back to SZA's earlier moody works like "Garden (Say It Like Dat)" and "Drew Barrymore."

SZA explained to fans that the original surprise release of "I Hate U" started out as an exercise. "I just wanted somewhere to dump my thoughts [with] out pressure," the star wrote on Instagram ahead of the track's official release. "Y'all made it a thing and I'm not mad lmao." SZA also responded to the high demand from fans that she release the song in her announcement, writing: "Ask and [you] shall receive."

On giving her fans the music they want, SZA told Billboard back in February that she's thankful the reaction to her album "Ctrl" and later singles has been so massive. "I'm just grateful that God put me in a position to touch or be of service to other people even if I don't understand it," she said.