Ari Lennox is Ready to Remind Us Again Where Love Unapologetically Exists: That’s in R&B
Just to start things off (and, of course, to rock the room a little), because it’s true what people say: R&B is entirely slept on, and many artists who are channeled into that very long, prominent genre don’t often receive the credibility and praise they 100 percent deserve. Unfortunately — and I am totally going to go there — if you’re also socially aware, you may even have a few hints as to why R&B doesn’t always have the same push as many other genres of music do (I mean, can we be honest?) — and it’s a damn shame.
Luckily, at the end of the day in this fast-moving music industry, R&B will always hold its place in the world, especially when it comes to the depthful essence R&B carries and locks us right back in; Ari Lennox is an absolute staple to that, and her newest single, “Twin Flame,” is an easy reminder of that very fact. Since her Shea Butter Baby era, she’s evolved with grace, depth, and confidence, and now she seems fully settled into her soft-girl era — without ever losing her edge. In uncertain and heavy times, that kind of gentleness feels necessary.
Listening to “Twin Flame” at three in the morning — candles lit, the room washed in dim light — I found myself fully immersed in the song’s vulnerability. Lennox delivers an honest, open-hearted ballad that invites the listener to slow down and feel every word. And in such heavy times in the world, I myself returned to a space in music where softness, vulnerability, and romance can be mystified through songs that sometimes hold us by our absolute chest. And you can’t help but flow and melt into it with no fight.
“And I never thought that I would fall for your type,
Hold me closer, reassure that you're mine (side note: god, I love this part)
I love the feelin' every time that we kissing
Got me writin' love songs, Jason's lyric”
The pre-chorus alone, with the trailing flow of her voice at the end of each line of lyrics, found me slowly bopping side to side, my eyes closing. And then I found myself in this sudden familiarity — a nostalgic hug I have ENTIRELY missed as a young millennial who grew up listening to quite a bit of R&B:
“Wow, I feel like I’m listening to an R&B track from the early–mid 2000s.” And I mean that in the absolute best way possible. Erykah Badu walked so Ari Lennox could run, and of course, Ari Lennox still holds an authenticity in this song. While the song “Twin Flame,” in some sense, sounds like other songs I may have heard, it’s entirely Ari-coded. It’s different, yet familiar.
Sonically, “Twin Flame” is wavering, groovy, and silky, with such yearning undertones, but what’s fortunate about Ari Lennox in her musical narration on this track: she never loses her awareness of her position, even with her desires. There is no desperation. She’s still a /boss/, and if you love her too, you better lock it down. Verbatim on the track!
There’s an uncertainty to the man’s position she’s pouring herself into and questioning, but it’s honest, and it’s real. And let’s all agree here: we have all been there, and to find it simply put forward in a song is never a bad time. We all get it. We all have been there — but fuck, I shamelessly love to hear it. We’ve felt that almost pitiful-drenching sensation of love where you wanted to give your all, but yet there was always that undeniable question that at times remained: “Do you love me? & Do you feel the same?”
“You make me feel a way
Do you feel the same?
Set my heart ablaze
Are you my twin flame?”
There is nothing slow per se about this song, but it's gentle, with a bouncy-beat chorus while also still holding one physically to a soft flow. At every moment, Ari’s voice alone carries you into some type of fantasy. It’s easy listening, and naturally it made me fall into my own rather relatable scenarios in my head when it came to love and some of the familiar romantic flings and experiences I’ve had of my own.
Ari Lennox has never been a stranger to leaning right into her core feelings and displaying themes in her music such as female empowerment, love, sexual intimacy, and self-acceptance. In this day and age, while these feelings can almost be shamed upon, it’s comforting to find a place in music where it’s okay to become lost in this crazy world we call “love,” to ask questions but don’t give up your position, and to find a song that puts your thoughts into words that are easily relatable. To relish in it, to relate to it.
And sometimes, I believe out of pure rebellion, that’s exactly what a woman needs every now and then.
If you’re looking to get lost in the romantic haze Ari Lennox exudes, her new single “Twin Flame” offers exactly that — while also setting the stage and vibe for her long-awaited (and absolutely anticipated) upcoming third studio album Vacancy, expected to be released on January 23, 2026.
Written by Kalline Bardi | January 15 2026