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Photo: Salvatore Maicki

Young adulthood is defined by newfound freedom but freedom often comes with a cost. With each decision or choice comes with it an unknown reaction or the reality of a choice left unmade - a fact that for many can be paralyzing.  

For rising Los Angeles artist Kristiane, this realization arose when it came time to consider leaving the only city she's ever known in the rear view. Birthed out of this grand moment of uncertainty, "State Lines,"  set to appear on her forthcoming sophomore EP of the same name, is a song to score the conflicting feelings of leaving all you've ever known behind.

"'State Lines' is the anthem to my early twenties, and all the confusion, pain, and bliss that accompany it. Having grown up and stayed in Los Angeles for college, I had never experienced the geographic change that I'd always yearned for. While living here is a complete blessing, I found myself dreaming about life beyond what I know. 'State Lines' discusses this need for change, while recognizing the beauty of the life and love I'd be leaving behind. Also, it questions the lengths somebody would go to love me. Would they 'follow me across state lines,' in both a metaphorical and literal sense, to keep me in their life? I find empowerment in the subtle confidence and honesty of this song," shares Kristiane.

Personifying her feelings for Los Angeles in the same anxiety-provoking way one would address where to take an uncertain relationship, Kristiane delivers a delicate, bittersweet ode to coming of age and the difficulty of moving on. "In a place I've outgrown / But you're the only home / I've settled into / And I still need you," sings the artist, caught in an emotional limbo state.

The mesmerizing emotional undercurrent is heightened in the Jeremy Reynoso and Silken Weinberg-directed music video, which sees Kristiane embarking on a road trip toward the sunset. And while we're not left with a definitive answer as to whether the right decision lies in moving forward or continuing on with what we know, that's likely the point. "State Lines" is the sonic passenger to all of our unique journeys, the soundtrack for the millions of forks in the road that ultimately come to define us.

Watch the  "State Lines" video below: