“Young Dumb Broke High School Kid,” referring to his start as a young musician in his song “Young Dumb & Broke.” Up and coming artist Khalid, not to be confused with media and music superstar DJ Khaled, has burst onto the scene in 2017 with a style that may not necessarily be new, but is definitely not common. He combines a hip-hop feel and amazing vocals with beats that give off a seemingly indie vibe. He identifies as an R&B artist but it is really hard to pin him down into one concrete genre.
Khalid is a young talent at the ripe age of 18 out of El Paso, Texas. He is signed to the label RCA Records as well as Right Hand Music Group. He released his first album titled “American Teen” on March 3rd, 2017 and the album debuted at number nine on the billboard 200, and young people are really enjoying his music.
“He provokes a free flowing spirit in every one of us, it’s very relaxing and the vocals add some gravity,” said senior Yeqiu (Chris) Zheng.
Senior Andrew DeHaan has followed his music from his early singles, released in late 2016, to his debut album released in March, and is always interested to hear the new things he has released. DeHaan likes to look out for new artists and came across Khalid by chance. He often listens to his music in his free time, whether it be on a Saturday night with friends or just cruising in his car.
“His sound is very unique and he makes music that has meaning, plus his voice is really good,” said DeHaan.
Khalid’s hits include singles like “Location” and “Saved.” They are catchy songs that have emotional lyrics. They combine emotions with the new age of technology and communication.
“Send me your location, let’s focus on communication,” is a lyric from his song “Location” that showcases how the new ability to share your location with your cell phone can help a relationship in the realm of trust and communication. It brings the traditional relationship issue of trust to the modern era with this new era of cell phones.
He also does something of that nature in his single “Saved.”
“I’ll keep your number saved, cause I hope one day you’ll get the sense to call me,” sings Khalid. The message of the song is how hard it can be to let go of someone you care for, but at the same time, how hard it can be to reach out to them if you want them back.
Khalid has only been on the music scene for a few months with his first single “Location,” which is still his most popular song according to Spotify, which came out on August 26th, 2016, but he is a budding star on the rise to success. He has already been featured on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon as well as being named the “Woodie to Watch” by MTV.