We can hear a similar story being told in songs, “ Talk,” “ My Bad,” and “ Don’t Pretend,” following the theme that relationships require hard work. In the albums intro, Khalid tells us about his struggles with a relationship that is coming to an end: “I can’t even live with being by myself / That’s the part of me that really needs your help / Lately, I haven’t been doing very well / That’s the difference between heaven and hell.” He is opening up about his true self and embraces what it means to be grown-up. While American Teen focused on shouting-out all the sad kids facing regular teenage struggles, Free Spirit attempts to showcase the singers growth as an individual. With 17 tracks and huge collaborations, the emerging pop-star carries the same beloved style that his first album brought us. And, with your second album, you have to write more of what people want.”įree Spirit provides a mix of genre-less songs with Khalid’s melodic voice fitting perfectly over every instrumental. You don’t have your whole life to write your second album. “You have your whole life to write your first album. The 21-year-old reflected on the pressure he felt while recording Free Spirit in a recent interview with his close friend and collaborator, Billie Eilish. Khalid is no longer “ Young, Dumb, and Broke,” but he is an emerging pop star who has been working tirelessly to give his fans an adequate follow-up to his debut album American Teen.

It was shortlisted in the 2019 Clio Music Awards.The remarkable R&B innovator Khalid released his sophomore album “ Free Spirit,” while working hard to give the fans what they want.

Set in a small town, a group of friends hotwire a van and go on a journey together. This film expands on his lyrics and artistry by sharing a visual story as a companion piece. So one day, they steal a van and all want to go on a road trip together, and essentially, what unfolds is a modern-day, complicated love story.' Description Ĭonceived and created by Khalid and Emil Nava, Free Spirit is a direct creative parallel to Khalid's new album, using the new music to tell the stories of the beauty and the pain of growing up as Khalid has always done in his work. It's about a group of youths that are living in the depths of America and they want to get out. The concept was 'about escapism and the youth of today. They shot for ten days in the outskirts of Los Angeles, California. I shot my first full-length film last year, so this was an especially exciting project because it has everything that I love in it – both music and cinema. Nava recalled, 'What amazed me about Khalid was that he really wanted to make a film, not a visual album or just music videos. In December, Khalid and Emil Nava met on Christmas Eve to discuss a project. In an interview he said, 'I felt like videos are cool, but for me Free Spirit is so cinematic. In February 2019, Khalid announced the upcoming film.

Khalid 2019 album