As someone who considers El DeBarge’s “Who’s Johnny” a high point of ’80s pop, and who also feels that Rihanna is taking way too long to come out with something new — no, her Jay-Z & Kanye collab, “Run This Town,” does not count — I’m much too weak-willed to resist the easy charms of Kristinia DeBarge‘s “Goodbye.”

The daughter of James DeBarge (brother of El, and to whom Janet Jackson was once briefly married), Kristinia was a contestant on American Juniors, the short-lived American Idol spin-off, in 2003. A year later, she met Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and began working with the writer/producer. Now 19, she’s signed to Sodapop, his Island-distributed imprint.

“Goodbye,” the lead-off single from DeBarge’s debut, Exposed, samples Steam’s “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.” Seamlessly integrating the chorus of that 1969 #1 hit, “Goodbye” is a deftly produced kiss-off track that pairs well with the tainted love of Rihanna’s swinging “SOS.”

While Rihanna reached #1 with “SOS” in the summer of 2006, “Goodbye” didn’t even say hello to the top ten, peaking at #15. Maybe the disappointing video, in which DeBarge mostly looks just plain angry, should shoulder the blame. Somehow MTV deemed the choreography worthy of a VMA nod, though I’m pretty sure Beyoncé will be the gal taking home a Moonman (for “Single Ladies”) on September 13.

And as much as I’m tempted to, I haven’t picked up DeBarge’s Exposed, having been burned by full-album purchases of both Ciara and Jordin Sparks in recent weeks. I’m so over it, I’ve been there and back, so I’m sticking to single-girl swag in the short term.

Purchase Kristinia DeBarge – “Goodbye” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.