“Easier” by Kandi, Featuring Faith Evans

Long before her “Real Housewives of Atlanta” fame, Kandi Burruss made a name for herself in music. She was part of the iconic girl group Xscape and also released two solo albums. The song “Easier” is from her first album, “Hey Kandi,” which was released in 2000. The incomparable Faith Evans lends her voice as the featured artist on this track. Kandi Burruss co-wrote the lyrics with Kevin Briggs and Tameka Cottle. The singer dedicates this song to her older brother, Patrick O’Dell Riley, who died in a car accident at the age of 22.

She begins the song with these lines:

I was in misery without you
I could not imagine life without you
It was such a painful thing to go through
Have you bein’ taken away

When Patrick died, Kandi was only 15 years old. Losing a sibling at any age can be devastating. Many times since the tragedy, the singer has expressed how alone she felt after her brother died.

Her second verse shares more:

I thought my life was over without you
Thought I would be oh so sad darlin’
‘Cause you left me here to face all my fears
All by myself, with nobody else

Again, Kandi remarks at how the loss of Patrick made her lose hope and feel isolated. She didn’t know how her life could continue without the love and support of her older brother. We can imagine the pain she felt at the age of 15 and how a future without her sibling would have seemed impossible.

Kandi Burruss with her mother and older brother, Patrick
Credit: BravoTV

The bridge of “Easier,” sung by Faith Evans shares the intense heartbreak…

Don’t feel like movin’ on, oh, yet I know
Just breathin’ air is hard to bear
When the one that you love is not there
Thoughts of you sit heavy on my mind

Kandi feels an inability to move beyond her sorrow. The weight of Patrick’s death is a terrible burden for her to bear. However, she finds a way to keep living, to keep going on without him. The chorus of her song shares how time has impacted her grieving process.

It gets, it gets easier
Without you
I won’t feel right
I can’t feel right
Without you
But it gets, it gets easier

Time has been somewhat of a healer for Kandi, but the loss is still keenly felt. This is a truth we all know: time can take the sting out of painful wounds, but we don’t just “get over” losing someone we love. Things will always be different without them, but as Kandi says, the days will “get easier.”

You can listen to Kandi and Faith Evans perform “Easier” by watching the video below. You can also read all of the supportive comments from people around the globe who have also lost family members and share their stories of pain and progress.