K. Michelle has her pick of suitors on VH1’s hit reality show Love & Hip Hop Atlanta and her solo spinoff, My Life, now in its second season. But as anyone who has heard her music, including new single “Not a Little Bit,” knows, the R&B singer, 31, is no stranger to heartache. She shares a few of her favorite breakup ballads for the valentine-less.
K. Michelle Talks Upcoming ‘Non-Urban’ Third Album & ‘My Life’ Season 2
“Didn’t We Almost Have It All,” Whitney Houston (1987)
“I can only listen to it when I’m at my darkest points. Whitney’s voice has never just been about her range; it’s about her ability to make you feel her pain, her happiness, her hope, her resignation. When I hear it, I’m like, ‘Cut it off — I can’t take it!’ “
“You’ll Think of Me,” Keith Urban (2002)
“What many people don’t know about me is that growing up in Memphis, I always loved country. This is one of the best songs out there when it comes to describing the aftermath of a breakup.”
“Mine Again,” Mariah Carey (2005)
“This song stays with me; it speaks to when you know [a relationship] is over. It’s painful not to be with the one you love simply because you were at the wrong stage of life when you met them.”
“Not a Little Bit,” K. Michelle (2016)
“It’s about those last steps that a person takes after a breakup: when you can acknowledge the importance of the relationship but also see that you’re better off alone. It’s about taking your power back as a woman so you can stand strong as a single person, without regret.”
This story originally appeared in the Feb. 20 issue of Billboard.