TikTok turned an SNL comedy song into SZA’s most popular release

The Grammy-winning R&B artist SZA released her new album, SOS, to much acclaim on Dec. 9. It’s a great release and definitely worth a listen, but as it turns out, her latest breakout hit isn’t even on the album. That’s because a recent novelty song she performed on Saturday Night Live has taken off on TikTok. Now, her fans can’t stop vibing to the new hit “Big Boys” (also known colloquially as “Cuffing Season”).

SZA performed part of the song as part of a skit called “Big Boys” on the Dec. 3 episode of SNL. She appeared onstage alongside Keke Palmer, Cecily Strong, Ego Nwodim, and Punkie Johnson. It’s an SNL skit, so the song comes with a goofy music video, emphasizing how all the women onstage want to spend winter with larger men who can keep them warm and fed. At one point, SZA looks disapprovingly at her wall poster of shirtless, chiseled Chris Pratt, and covers it with another photo of Pratt as Andy Dwyer in Parks and Recreation.

Her vocals are notably emotional and sincere for a comedy song performance. SZA sings in the chorus, “I want a big boy, gimme a big boy.” Because of the richness of the performance, fans were shocked to learn that the song was in fact an SNL gag, and not from her recent album. One TikTok post with more than 6.3 million views said, “Tell me why I just spent an hour trying to find this song on SZA’s new album just to realize it’s a fucking SNL skit.”

The song has really struck a chord. More than 106,000 videos on TikTok have used the audio at time of publication. Even the streamer and influencer Pokimane posted about it!

SZA’s sultry performance stands out in the song, and many reactors online have been using the chorus to celebrate their affection and desire for larger men. Some people are using the song to show off their partners, while others have opted to dance. As it took off, the trend prompted some controversy: Some users online have used the song to show off “big” boyfriends who are just tall and and skinny. So users have been going back and forth on who does or doesn’t classify as a “big boy” online.

Regardless of where you stand, the good news is that the trend has alerted everyone and their mom to this banger of a song.