With two sold out tours, a song gone double-platinum, and the title of VMA New Artist of the Year, R&B singer/songwriter Khalid is literally living the American dream. If you aren’t already paying attention to what he’s got in the works, I’m here to tell you that you definitely should be. At only 19 years old, and a mere two years into his career, the emerging artist has already taken the airwaves by storm. Khalid’s smooth sound is the result of a diverse array of influences that leaves listeners wanting more. To truly comprehend Khalid’s success, let’s look at a brief timeline of his career thus far.
Having gone double-platinum, Khalid’s breakout single “Location” sent his career skyrocketing. Just this past March, Khalid released his first album, “American Teen,” which topped out at No. 9 on the Billboard 200. Since then, Khalid has collaborated with the likes of artists such as Marshmello, Alessia Cara, Calvin Harris, and Future. Just a couple of weeks ago, he released a rough draft of his new song “Perfect” on SoundCloud, and let me tell you, there is nothing rough about it.
Though I could listen to his music all day, every day of my life, I do not believe it is Khalid’s unique sound alone that has contributed to his success, but instead his adept perspective on life. Though he is fresh out of high school, his thoughts and opinions on love and relationships are incredibly mature and can be found in each track of his American Teen Album. He speaks directly to the hearts of listeners through his talent of storytelling, and his metaphors leave me questioning all aspects of my life. Whether it’s your style of music or not, I would highly recommend looking into some of his work. I don’t anticipate him going anywhere but up anytime soon.