SZA on sampling Justin Timberlake for The Weekend

SZA was completely uninhibited when she recorded “The Weekend” — simply because it samples a Justin Timberlake song and she never thought the music would get cleared.

“I didn’t even think about anything I was saying. I was just happy to be singing over that Justin Timberlake sample”, she said with a laugh. “I was just like, ‘This is for fun. This is crazy’.

“Honestly, thank you Justin Timberlake, because you have the juice”, she added, laughing again. “I just borrowed it”.

“The Weekend” borrows elements from Timberlake’s “Set the Mood (Prelude)/Until the End of Time”, from his 2006 album, “FutureSex/LoveSounds”.

The song, about sharing a man with another woman, so far has peaked at No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. SZA said some people were confused about the meaning of the song — some online called the song’s character a “side chick” because SZA is singing from the perspective of a woman who only hangs out with her man on the weekend, while another girl, or girls, have him during the week.

“I’m not even explaining that song no more. Not to you, not to nobody. Take it how you want it. Enjoy it. I’m just, I’m thankful that you enjoyed it all”, she said. “That’s all”.

The Washington Post