Khalid is an R&B singer who has made great strides in his music career while having very little time in the spotlight thus far. As of this writing, he has four singles that are in Billboard's Hot 100 worldview, with “1-800-273-8255” at No. 3, “Young Dumb & Broke” at No. 26, “Location” at No. 28 and “Silence” at No. 59. In addition to that, his startlingly polished debut, American Teen, continues to reside in the Top 10 of Billboard's album charts. Generally speaking, he's riding a nice wave of success right now.
In the midst of all that comes this impromptu new single that he dropped on Soundcloud earlier this afternoon. Titled "Perfect," he's also labeled it as a "rough draft," so there's no telling if another, final version of the track will be hitting the online marketplace in the near future. Taken on its own, this new offering from Khalid is such the same as his previous material, which is the highest compliment I can bestow upon his music. With the deep, soulful voice commanding every listener's undivided attention, the R&B crooner lets his voice float above some earthy acoustic guitar chords, giving the composition an intimate energy that lets us focus on his isolated, somewhat sad lyrical content. A man who's no stranger to writing music that centers on the disenfranchised youth of today, Khalid arguably sounds better the more minimalist the approach to his production is. Something of this nature, with just a guitar to back him up, is almost more ideal than placing his vocals over some highly complex beat wizardry.
Khalid wraps up his American Teen tour in San Francisco, CA tomorrow night (September 21st). If you're looking to get acquainted with this budding star, check out our rundown of everything you should know about him here.
Quotable Lyrics
I've been on my own for a long time
I'm feeling kind of lonely
Nothing's fun when I'm the only one
Out here who knows me