This past week, an early rendition of Lil Tjay and 6LACK’s “Calling My Phone” featuring a verse by SZA was leaked, a collab that didn’t make the final cut. It was unclear to fans why that version didn’t make it into the final release of Tjay’s album, Destined 2 Win. That is, until last Friday when the Grammy-award-winning star took to Twitter to explain why she decided not to submit the recorded verse to her potential collaborator.

The Missouri singer is hailed as one of the most talented artists currently dominating the R&B space, but the “Kill Bill” hitmaker isn’t immune to self-doubt. Upon the revelation that the singer-songwriter had recorded a snippet for “Calling My Phone,” she admitted she “punked out” of the collab and held back the 46-second clip, which promptly received public praise upon its release.

After catching wind of it circling on social media, the R&B queen expressed mixed emotions about the unsanctioned leak, revealing she didn’t feel she had enough to add anything significant to an already “fire” song.

“Lmao, as for the calling my phone verse… I’m mad you all leaked it, but glad you all liked it,” the singer tweeted. “I punked out of turning it in… happens a lot. I be feeling like I can’t add anything to songs that are already fire. Respect to @liltjay + @6LACK.”

Fans rushed to her side with messages of encouragement aimed at boosting her confidence, one even pointing out the strength of her songwriting. 

SZA replied that while she aims to give her best, her hesitancy hails from respect for the integrity of the track — sometimes feeling inadequate in enhancing songs of such caliber as “Calling My Phone,” which then pressures her to hold back.

“It’s more a respect thing to the artist! I literally only wanna give the best of me, especially if the song is already popular. If I can’t magnify it, I fall back,” the musician explained.

In a recent interview with ELLE magazine, SZA — whose real name is Solána Rowe —  expressed that she does “music to prove that I have value to myself.”

“I’m just waiting until I finish proving points to myself because that’s what all this is about, really,” the TDE singer revealed.

Despite SZA’s absence from the contribution, “Calling My Phone” clearly wasn’t hindered by it. Released first as a single, it was subsequently featured on Lil Tjay’s 2021 album, Destined 2 Win, later peaking at No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and gaining a 4x platinum certification, making it Tjay’s most successful hit.

6LACK joined the conversation, reacting positively to the leaked verse with his own tweet. The cheeky comment suggested he couldn’t even listen to the verse.

“Ngl, I listened with my hands over my ears [because] it felt like a sin,” he wrote. “Sound like butter, tho[ugh].”

SZA replied with her own tweet, expressing appreciation for the support even as she affirmed to her would-have-been collaborators that “y’all ATE” with the hit track.

“Lmao, please, you know how it beee. Y’all ATE. I appreciate you, King,” she penned.

The potential missed opportunity hasn’t slowed SZA’s success either. Last summer we witnessed the resounding acclaim from her second studio album, SOS, which was arguably among the most prominent releases of 2022 with tracks like “Shirt,” “Kill Bill” and “Snooze.” 

It further solidified the chart-topping star’s place as a top player in the music industry, guaranteeing her spot as a staple in the R&B scene.

Lil Tjay caught wind of SZA’s confession, chiming in with his own tweet, both delighted by her verse and hinting at the prospect of sending her another song to jump on.

“Mannnnnn, I got some s**t better for you [right now]. You know that’s what they want! @sza,” he wrote on Twitter.

It looks like a collaboration may yet be in the duo’s future, but for now, we’ll have to settle for what could have been — and hope SZA continues to grow in her confidence as an artist.

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