Saweetie Calls ‘HELLA PRESSURE’ An “Appetizer” For Debut Album

Key Takeaways:

• The EP HELLA PRESSURE marked Saweetie’s return after a long musical hiatus.
• The five-track project included a TWICE collaboration and showcases her creative range.
• Saweetie says the EP reflects her personality and offers a preview of her upcoming debut album.

Since first arriving with 2017’s “ICY GRL,” there’s always been something really special about Saweetie. While a debut album is still unreleased, fans feel seemingly closer than ever to receiving it.

Before that release, she dropped HELLA PRESSURE in early August, joking, “You can’t just put it in without it being lubricated.” On Wednesday (Aug. 20), the rapper sat down with Justin Credible to talk through her first EP in nearly three years.

Noting that she was in “album mode” while working on the five-song project, Saweetie said, “I really had to get my feet wet real quick.” She added, “I just feel like in this day and age, you have to feed them the appetizers and then you come with the entrées.” The extended play did just that, introducing records like the Young Buck-sampling “boffum” and “pressure.”

“This was the first project where I really, really put everything into it. When I [say] that, I mean my conscience,” Saweetie explained. “I feel like this encompasses 70 percent of my personality.” While breaking down the EP, she mentioned that she wants to get a feature — preferably a male artist — on “twinzzz,” one of the cuts listeners were introduced to halfway through the project.

Later in the conversation, Saweetie revealed that she originally sang the chorus on “superstars” before TWICE took it over. “They sound way better than me,” the Oakland rapper said of the K-pop group.

“I’m a true Northern California woman, and when you hear ‘hella,’ you know that I’m from that region for sure,” she went on to say while reflecting on the EP. “I feel like with this project, you’re able to see my range.”

Although the West Coast princess didn’t confirm if her big debut will arrive in 2025, she is fresh off her first-ever Australian tour. The trek included four stops across Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, and more.