Khalid Robinson is the artist needed in the music industry right now. He went from being an Independent Soundcloud act to certified superstar. This time last year, Khalid was a high school senior in El Paso, Texas and as of March 3rd, his debut album, “American Teen”, arrived in stores.
The Georgia-born artist’s upbringing and background have really shaped him as the person he is today. As a military brat, he spent many of his formative years moving all over the place from his native home in Atlanta, Georgia to Germany and then to New York during his childhood before moving to El Paso, Texas right before his senior year of high school. While living in Germany, he immersed himself in music and theater and that’s when his mother found out he had a gift.
The 19-year old shockingly rose to fame and became a household name amongst many due to his soulful single “Location” which honestly came out of nowhere to win over celebrities such as Kylie Jenner, who recorded herself lip-syncing to the song on her Snapchat. Released in May last year, “Location” is a youthful song about love and loss. The 18-year-old artist’s track was produced by Smash David, Tunji Ige, and Syk Sense and has been streamed over 48 million times on Spotify.
Khalid is a voice for young people all over the world who go through similar experiences he went through and this is very much evident on the album. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Khalid talks about voices for the youth. “We forget that when you grow up, there are a lot of people who are in the same position as you,” he says. “The reason we forget is because there’s not really a true voice that talks from the perspective of youth.” “A lot of my songs are about loneliness and losing relationships,” he says. “Even the ones that are happy, there’s a lonely undertone to them.”
“We don’t always say what we mean — it’s the life of an American teen,” he sings in the title track. “My youth is the foundation of me living life as an American teen.”
In addition to the new album, Khalid released a video for the title track, “American Teen”. This album covers everything from soul to synth-pop and is absolutely phenomenal. Khalid has done an exquisite job. This is just the beginning for him.
Watch “American Teen” below and make sure to buy his Debut Album by heading to Itunes:
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