Khalid, the “Best New Artist” at the “MTV Video Music Awards” in 2017 will hit the road starting June with his arena tour “Free Spirit World Tour”. The tour kicks off on the 20th of June in Phoenix, Arizona, includes stops in locations like Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, and Detroit, and wraps up on the 17th of August in Miami, Florida. The name of the tour is given by the album Khalid released on the 05th of April. Singer Clairo will be the tour’s opening act.
“Free Spirit” album follows Khalid’ “Suncity” from 2018 and is considered in some regards more conventional than its predecessor. Whilst for his first album the singer worked with a hand of friends and rising ghostwriters, the team behind “Free Spirit” album features famous names like Disclosure, Murda Beatz, John Mayer, and even Stargate, who is working with Rihanna.
There were no events found for Khalid.The songs of the album approach various topics, having the musical instruments create a synergy with these topics. “Bad Luck” is built around the guitar and the drums, with an ascending melodic line, while “My Bad” has a jazz like flavor. “Better”, a song initially featured on the EP “Suncity” and produced by Stargate, is included also in “Free Spirit” album in a more synth-dominated version. It’s the kind of song that you expect to find on a “superstar-to-be” album. The track “Twenty-One” is a cry of loneliness, with Khalid stating “I’m in pain, and I’m to blame”. The title track has U2 influence written all over it, “Alive” creates a beautiful chorus as the singer analyzes his mental health, whilst the production effects turn the track “Self” into a catchy one, thanks to the enhanced echo of Khalid’s voice. “Bluffin’” provides a strange, yet catchy note to Khalid’s retro-soul style of singing and “Paradise” is a funk-inspired track, indicating that Khalid’s artistic evolution is heading towards a new direction, while the bonus track that ends the album – “Saturday Nights” is also a re-issue from “Suncity” EP.
Born on the 11th of February 1998, Khalid Donnel Robinson was raised by his single mother Linda Wolfe, after his parents separated. Because Linda had a job as a supply technician in the army, she and Khalid moved frequently, making it difficult for Khalid to build lasting friendships with other children. But his mother proved to be his best and most supportive friend, as they shared the same passion: music. Khalid’s mother, who performed for a while with an army band, used to practice duets with her son at home. This made Khalid become interested in music and he began to watch clips from “Fleetwood Mac”, Aaliyah, Adele, and Father John Misty. Once established in New York, Khalid appeared in school musicals such as “Hello, Dolly” or “Hairspray”. During his senior high school year, he began to think about becoming a music teacher and he also started to write, record and upload songs on his Soundcloud page. Khalid wanted to release a new song before prom, so he contacted the producer Syk Sense and together they recorded “Location”. The song reached #20 on the “Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay” Billboard chart in 2016, Top 10 on “Billboard Hot R&B Songs” on the 21st of January 2017, and received also several platinum certifications.
In January and February 2017, he started his first tour – “Location Tour”, which took him to the US, Canada, and Europe. The tour was sold out and was followed by the singer’s debut album – “American Teen”. Released on the 3rd of March 2017 and supported by the singles “Young Dumb & Broke” and “Location”, the album reached #4 after debuting at #9 in “Billboard 200”. It received platinum certification for selling more than 1,000,000 copies and reached #1 in the R&B Albums chart. The single “Location” alone sold more than 4 million copies, receiving also platinum certification.
Following these major successes, Khalid collaborated with Alessia Cara, making the single “1-800-273-8255” to reach #3 on the “Billboard Hot 100”. He featured his vocals, uncredited, in the song “The Heart Part 4” released by Kendrick Lamar in March 2017 and performed live the single “Location” during an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”. Another premiere for Khalid was the featuring of his song “Angels” on an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” in April. 2017 continued to be an incredible year for Khalid, as in July he began his second tour – “American Teen Tour”. In September he served as the opening act for Lorde’s UK tour, an artist that Khalid cited as one of his musical influencers. 2017 brought him also several award nominations: “American Music Awards”, “BET Awards”, “Soul Train Music Awards” and “Teen Choice Awards”. He won the “Best New Artist” category of “MTV Video Music Awards” and also “Woodie To Watch” from “Woodie Awards”.
With so many accomplishments so far, Khalid is one artist of the new generation whose performance you cannot miss.
Sources:
https://consequenceofsound.net/2019/02/khalid-free-spirit-new-album-release/
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/khalid-free-spirit-world-tour-dates-815977/
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/apr/04/khalid-free-spirit-review-rca-gen-z-singer
https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/khalid-free-spirit-review
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/khalid-singer-35580.php
