KIRBY doesn’t just sing—she testifies. And on her powerful new single “The Man,” she’s not just telling her truth—she’s calling out the whole damn system.

The Mississippi-born, Memphis-raised artist is back with a blues-drenched gut punch that flips the American Dream on its head. Produced by Thomas Brenneck and Homer Steinweiss (the duo behind soul legends like Charles Bradley and Amy Winehouse), “The Man” is the first taste of KIRBY’s upcoming album, and it’s already sounding like her most urgent work yet.

At first listen, you might think the title refers to a loving tribute. And it is—partly. KIRBY wrote the track as an ode to her father, a 71-year-old working man whose labor never quite translated into the promise of security. But just beneath that reverence is fire—“The Man” also takes direct aim at the powers that be. It’s a takedown of systemic injustice wrapped in sweet Southern soul.

“There ain’t no situation where a man’s occupation should feel like he works for free,” KIRBY sings, her voice full of sorrow and bite. With each verse, she elevates the overlooked: the delivery drivers, the farmers, the custodians who grind every day just to survive in a rigged game.

In her own words, “The rat race is rigged, and on those days when it all gets to be too much, I point the finger at the proverbial Uncle Sam and mumble under my breath, ‘I can’t stand THE MAN!’”

Following the success of past tracks like “Black Leaves” (later sampled by Offset) and her collabs with Childish Gambino (SWARM), KIRBY proves once again she’s one of the most fearless voices in modern soul.