Shandelle is rethinking how she picks her friends and picks her battles. The Boston musician armors up emotionally in “life you chose,” her Nate-Nics-assisted tune that seeks breathing room from her loved ones’ heartaches and headaches. The April single skirts people who misinterpret open arms as a therapist’s couch, setting a firm boundaries with fluid R&B that gracefully frames Nics’ featured verse.
Both artists’ intertwined narratives feed off one another, each voice reaching for relief; “I’ve been overstimulated / I just can’t get away,” Shandelle sings, while Nics raps “My heart’s for you / But freedom’s being apart from you.”
“’life you chose’ is the realization that a lot of friendships and relationships have consisted of people coming to me about their problems, and me realizing that as much as I care and am willing to help, sometimes I can’t or shouldn’t,” Shandelle explains, “but I know now to not let those issues or emotions consume me, even when I am capable of being there for the people I love.”
Take a much-needed breather with Shandelle below.