SOTB Faithful, dating and situationships are hard work. They’re worth it, but it’s not a game for the weak. That said, you damn sure don’t need your partner making them harder by making you fit into their little box(es). In fact, you’re a flame that can’t be put out. So, live your truth, live your life and don’t get so lost in someone who doesn’t feed your soul and enrich you. That’s the basis of Kianja’s “Lost in You.”

A post-breakup anthem by the soul singer, “Lost” finds Kianja dusting herself off after a breakup. Instead of crying and saying “woe is me,” Kianja finds herself again. In doing so, she remembers that she is HER and not “the archetype” of a “perfect” girlfriend. With that renewed confidence, Kianja delivers the most soulful middle finger I’ve heard in a while. I love the song because it’s got a Motown edge to its vocals and instrumentation. What makes this one stand our further for me is this: Kianja handles the vocals, the lyrics and the production. A wunderkind with punchy-but-lovely vocals? Give her all of the streams.

I think I also love this one because I’ve been in a few situations over the last twenty years where I’ve made myself small to fit into someone’s life. There have been times where I became someone I truly wasn’t in order to keep someone else happy. That’s not love. That’s obedience, and SOTB ain’t a dog. And neither are you! So, go get your butt in gear, remember that you are THEM and flourish in your own light.

Check out “Lost in You” above and remember to support dope music in all its forms.