

The seriousness of these conversations made American Teen seem light in the britches, like a singer writing songs he thinks people want to hear rather than hashing out what he feels it is imperative to say to them. In interviews, he grappled with mental-health woes like stress, panic attacks, depression, and social anxiety. “ Location” and “ Young Dumb & Broke” are the kinds of tunes that Ocean might have landed on had he continued down the Nostalgia, Ultra path of making moody, relatable, Zeitgeist-minded love songs instead of embracing a literary, Expressionist approach to writing on Blonde and Endless.īut there was more to Khalid than American Teen suggested. His 2017 debut album American Teen served a smart, charming hybrid of soul and pop that picked up where the Everyman concerns of early Frank Ocean records left off. Texas singer-songwriter Khalid Robinson tangles with the beast on his sophomore album Free Spirit. It gets you stuck on stasis, fearful of movement and evolution. Depression is a landlord that wants to keep you renting. Holding fast to all three can be hard to manage.

Comfort is a matter of monastic poise, militant daily routines, and therapy. The spiral’s hard to shake sometimes thrashing around to make your escape just tires you out and traps you further.

Your mood sours, then you doubt yourself, then your creativity and productivity suffer, then you make mistakes that make your mood even worse. They get you thinking you’re only as strong as your most recent failings, that the worst you can feel is the best that life offers. He has more or less been a constant presence in our lives in these years, thanks in part to a slew of solo singles and a mind-boggling number of collaborations, many of which have been enviably successful.Khalid writes with intense honesty about the pitfalls of fame.ĭepression and anxiety are mercenarily efficient conditions.

In just two years, Khalid has become a household name in the field of pop and R&B music. The singer-songwriter sure has talent and the charm to back it up. They evoke feelings that are just too familiar with us that we find it so easy to relate. All you feel like when listing to his hits is like, “Yeah, I can handle that.” They are settling. No, you do not hear a Khalid Song and you are like, “Turn it off” or “Next!” His songs are harmless, they offend nobody, they anger nobody. And just before you go, how about we give you some sneak picks into this Khalid Free Spirit newest album on the market? Did you know he has already released his second album and people cannot just get enough of it? Trust me, if you haven’t, you might want to check it out. If you were to give your life a title what would it be? Perhaps Lonely life? Not yet there? Misplaced destination or whatever? It is so hard to sum up your life in just a few words, isn’t it? Well, not for our dear Khalid.
