It’s been three years since SZA debuted her album Ctrl, and since then fans have asked when they can expect her next project. Now, the singer has given insight into what may be causing the hold-up.

At the beginning of of the year, SZA confirmed to fans that a highly-anticipated new release was set to arrive sometime in 2020, updating her previous claim back in August that the project was coming “soon as fuck”. She has now suggested, however, that the president of her label is holding back the new material.

In a now-deleted tweet, SZA wrote and later deleted: “At this point y’all gotta ask punch,” referring to the president of Top Dawg Entertainment, Terrence “Punch” Henderson. “I’ve done all I can do.”

In a fan’s response to the tweet, which asked if this is due to a “hostile relationship”, SZA replied: “BEEN hostile.”

Elsewhere in the ongoing message thread, in response to a tweet that appeared to show Punch avoiding a release date by replying to a fan question with a vague “soon”, SZA replied: “This is all he says to me as well. Welcome to my fucking life.”

It wasn’t long until social media began using the hashtag #FreeSZA, which the “All the Stars” hitmaker quickly shut down.

“Don’t nobody need to free me… I’m not held hostage and neither is my music!” she said added, saying that her and Punch were simply “disagreeing”.

“He’s never steered me wrong and I trust Gods timing,” she concluded on Twitter, adding, “Sometimes you gotta be patient… Sometimes no is a blessing”.

She added that she “trusts” the people around her.

Ahead of the release of her debut album by Top Dawg Entertainment in 2017, SZA also tweeted then deleted claims that there had been some form of disagreement over the release.

“I actually quit. @iamstillpunch can release my album if he ever feels like it. Y’all be blessed,” she wrote at the time.

On his own social media, Punch retweeted criticisms from SZA fans and seemingly responded in posts that read:

“I am a person and you guys are hurting my feelings,” and, “The way you guys show love hit different. Like whoa. Yea. But have a good day.”