Khalid stops by the studio to talk with Bru.
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MusicTranscript
00:00Haleed! What's up man? What's up, what's up? So nice to see you. Yeah, good to see you.
00:06It's great to have you. We Can Survive, a little bit ago, performing at our show.
00:09Dude, it looked so much fun. Do you still love performing, like, as much as ever?
00:14Yeah, I love it. I mean, although the time goes by, living in the moment is the best
00:20and I don't think anything can compare to walking out on the stage and seeing
00:25thousands of people scream words that you wrote. It's crazy. I mean, I love
00:31performing. I have so much fun. Yeah, yeah. How fun is it to see fans that are, like,
00:34you know, still singing every single word, especially after, like, taking some
00:39time off and working on new stuff and, like, still rocking with you after all
00:42this time. It's like a little time capsule, I feel like. I mean, I feel like I closed
00:46my eyes. I woke up and it's 2024 and it's, like, eight years after I debuted, but the
00:55fact that people are still holding on to the love for that long shows me that
00:59all those intentions that I might have taken years later when I was younger,
01:03they all set up for an incredible, beautiful future. I'm just having so
01:09much fun. People are talking about American Teen, how much they love it, and
01:12they're also talking to me about my new album, Sincere, how much they love that.
01:16So it just goes to show I'm continuing to do the right things.
01:19Absolutely. Well, congrats on Sincere, by the way. Thank you. It's been so fun to
01:22see it roll out and you, like, excited about new music and what you're working
01:26on. It's amazing. Do you feel—it's crazy how much success you've had so young, you
01:31know, because you're still super young. Do you feel older, like, after having so much
01:35success early on? Maybe it's the age 26 that's kind of like, okay, well, we're
01:41getting closer to 30. I mean, for me, I had my first hit. I was 18 years old.
01:50And at that point, I felt like I was older than what I was because people are
01:55coming to me and speaking to me about, oh, you have so much wisdom and your
02:00demeanor, and I'm just like, I'm 18. I used to go to parties and sleep in cars,
02:05and here I am being a pop star. So I feel like over the amount of time since then,
02:11I definitely have gained so much more maturity. More maturity, more clarity in
02:18my decisions. So it definitely—if it felt like I was way beyond my years, then
02:23it definitely feels like I'm way beyond my years now. Absolutely. Wait till you
02:26do hit 30, and then we're gonna be like, oh man, I'm Yoda at this point. Who knows I'm gonna be
02:31writing then, too. Absolutely. Dude, how does it feel to be, like, the soundtrack for so
02:35much of our, like, memories, you know? It's crazy to think about, again, how long you've
02:40been around with this music and the soundtrack to basically our lives. I love
02:44it. I love it. I mean, I love when people tell me about how much my music means to
02:49them, or they speak to me about a story that my music was the soundtrack to. It's
02:53incredible. It just even defies my expectations that I had when I was first
02:59creating music. I'm just writing in my bedroom aimlessly. I don't know where
03:04this is gonna go, and then it leads to me living my wildest dreams. So I think it's
03:10incredible that people are like, hey, I've fallen in love to your music. I've
03:14fallen out of love to your music. I've experienced this to your music. I think
03:18it's great. Keep listening to my music. Keep experiencing life with it. Yeah, it's
03:22incredible. I love that people will tell you their stories. Like, does anyone's
03:25story come to your mind when you think about, like, wow, why? Why would you tell
03:30me that? Just like, oh yeah, I mean, a couple of, like, oh, this got me a date
03:37somewhere. This got me a date. Super casual stuff where, like, I'll hear
03:42things like, I met my person at your show. I met my person through your music. Funny,
03:51random things. A couple of guys using my music to get girls. A couple of, I mean,
03:58it's just what comes with the music. It's just what comes with it. It's the vibe you present.
04:03It seems like I bring a good, I set a stage of love. Yeah, I could tell you some
04:09location stories. To say it in the best way.
04:14Sorry, man. I'm gonna add some candy. I'm in a silly goofy mood. Oh, man. It's so funny.
04:19But yeah, dude, I love, like, hearing the stories from that music and then
04:24ushering in this whole next era. And you said you had to take some time to, like,
04:28you know, re-refine that love of music. What does that process look like? What
04:32does the last five years, you know, look like when you think about that?
04:35Taking it easy. Living life the way that it's, you know, supposed to be lived in the
04:40present, in the moment. Living a lot in the moment. Experiencing things through
04:43my own eyes. Traveling. And creating and writing and trying things out. Throwing
04:50paint on a board and being like, okay, well, this sticks. Throwing paint on a wall.
04:55Okay, this sticks. That sticks. I don't know about that one. That might not ever have to come out.
05:01We'll never hear this one. Burn that drive, right? But it's been a lot of fun and I feel
05:10good and relaxed and comfortable and low amount of pressure. Love that. So it just makes me more
05:18excited to keep going. Like, what's next? What am I working on next? And just how many more
05:26people can I impact with this album? I think I'm just in a completely optimistic state about
05:30everything. That's great. That's the wisdom. Yeah. 26 wisdom. It's a big, the frontal lobe's
05:35developing. Right, really. You talk about those life experiences and you've had so many cool
05:40opportunities and you're such a great collaborator, whether it's like Billie Eilish or Marshmello,
05:46you know, or Halsey. Do you learn something new from every time you get to collab with someone
05:50like that? All the time. All the time. How they create music, how they empathize with music,
05:55their stories. I think that's my favorite part of collaborating is stepping into someone else's
06:01world and even learning about yourself as an artist. Like, I didn't even know I would be able
06:04to do these songs. When I wrote Silence with Marshmello, I was so in my head about that song.
06:12Are people going to love it? Are people going to think it's cool? I've never done an EDM song.
06:16I've never done a dance song. This is me stepping outside of my comfort zone. And then I sing that
06:20song and it's just like the first time all over again. People love it. They ignite with it.
06:25So it really does teach me to appreciate music and appreciate other people's homes that they
06:31choose to live in creatively. I love stepping outside of my box and working with other people.
06:36Do you feel like you stepped out at all in your comfort zone in this new project since here?
06:40Definitely. Definitely. Breathe with Arlo Parks where I'm rapping and doing different things that
06:46I normally wouldn't do. But that's what's fun about being creative, especially when you're
06:53working on music and you're the only person that hears it. You can just take so many risks. I mean,
06:58I love making music that I get to drive home and listen to on repeat all the way home. I love that.
07:04Totally. Well, with the five-year gap between albums, when do you know
07:09when to move on from an idea or hang on to it maybe to where you think it could possibly fit
07:14into something in the future? When do you know it's time to shift on an idea?
07:20I like the type of music that stands the testament of time. I love timeless music,
07:28so I'm honest about it. Sometimes I'll do an idea from years ago that I'll listen to and I'll be
07:33like, oh, this did not age well at all. But there's other songs that I'll do that I'm like, wow, this
07:39one, throw it on the album. I don't care if I made it in 2020, 2021. I love it. Throw it on the album.
07:47Wow. How do you know when it sounds timeless?
07:52If I can still find myself through moments of laughter and smiling when I'm listening to it,
07:58if I can still find joy through my experience listening to it, I'm like, okay, this is a song
08:04that lasts. This is a song that people can live with. Even when I made Better, I knew instantly
08:11that that was going to be a classic just because of the way that it made me feel,
08:15and still does. I'm like, I can't even believe that that song came out in 2018. You listen to
08:20it now and it's like... That doesn't seem right. Yeah. Time is flying, man. It really is. That's
08:25crazy. But that's so interesting that you draw from the emotion instead of like, oh man, technically
08:29sounding, this is a banger, you know? Yeah, because one of my favorite eras of music is the 80s.
08:35You listen to a song from the 80s and it's like, wow, this is decades ago and it still has an
08:43impact on me as an individual to this day. Those are the things that I want to do with my music
08:48as an artist. That's so true. We can hear a song from the 70s or 80s for the first time and when
08:53it hits you or you feel it, that's how you know it's a timeless song, right? Exactly. People are
08:57going to be doing that with Khalid music. I can't wait for that generation, 2050. They're just like,
09:02yo! There's a few that in my mind, I'm like, oh, this song will probably never go away.
09:06Oh, that's cool though, man. That's like, you know, leaving your mark on music. It's amazing.
09:11Exactly. Incredible. Well, you said there was a song that like barely made the cut for the album,
09:16right? How do you know, too, also like if it's going to make the album or not? Like what's
09:21the process for deciding what makes the album? I have a really good relationship with my music
09:26where I can respect my music enough to be like, we can't force every song on this album.
09:33There's certain moments where you're like, you're overdoing it a little bit too much.
09:38And I have to be really honest with myself, like, okay, I don't want to release a 25 song album. So
09:43how can I skim this down a little bit? But even through skimming it down, for me, I'm thinking
09:49to myself, there's something missing in its core of this project. What's that? So then I get to
09:57thumb through all these old previous ideas that I did and be like, wow, I forgot about this song
10:01so much. You know what, this song needs to come right back. And that was Heatstroke. And that
10:05was Long Way Home on the album. Can you imagine? Yeah. And that was like the last week right before
10:10we turned in the masters. It's just, you got to just trust your intuition. Yeah. And it's
10:14so interesting to hear about you like architecting it, like figure out what is missing, what would
10:19make it like sound complete. I closed my eyes and I visualized this house and I'm like, okay,
10:25this is how I want this room to look. Wow. The album's like the house? The album is the house
10:29and each song or each individual room. What's always the last touch on the house? Is it like a
10:35song of curtains? Is it a... The last touch to me is when I find the song that I want to put
10:42at the end of the album. The door. Yeah. That's the final, the final door. And I'm like, okay,
10:48we can close this door now. Open a new one. That's awesome. I love that. Well, I mean,
10:53obviously it's not that those songs are bad by any means, it's just different, right? It's like
10:57not the right fit at the time. Yeah. I mean, do as you will, but I like things to have a theme.
11:06I like things to have a story. I like things to have a vibe and you know when the vibe is
11:11disrupted. Doesn't mean that the thing that's playing is bad by any means, but it's just on
11:16a different channel, on a different plane. So for me, I like to keep things okay. For this album,
11:21I'm like everything to me is within the same vibe and the same space and I think that's what I love
11:26the most about it. Yeah. No, you can definitely tell when listening to the album, that's the
11:31theme and that's just the vibe it brings. Job well done. Yeah, absolutely. And you see a lot
11:37of people doing, when they have that, not problem, because it's a good problem to have when you have
11:41too much music, but turning to EPs, like even a guy like Hozier who put Too Sweet out on an EP
11:47and now it's his first ever number one. Is that something you think about doing? All the time.
11:52I'm always thinking about dropping little side projects where I can be creative,
11:56be expressive and try different things and I'm always thinking about, okay, what can I do?
12:02I'm a great collaborator. One day I want to do a collaboration project again and
12:07I'm always finding different things to be like, okay, what's an excuse for me to release a song?
12:14Can I have one? Can I just release a song next week? And everybody's like, oh, it's the way we
12:18have to go about these things. So hopefully there's some more EPs and more projects. Well,
12:24there definitely will be more EPs and projects to come. That's awesome. Well, it feels like you got
12:27to do that and shine a really cool light on ON2U with Color Studios, getting to perform that song.
12:34Do you take the opportunity to really make it a unique live recording or performance when you get
12:40to do that stuff? What do you try to bring to an opportunity like that? I try to sing the song
12:44better than I sing it in the studio. Sure. And by that, I mean with more passion, more drive.
12:50I try to really sit in the space and live in the song, live in the moment when I'm doing it.
12:55And usually sometimes I'll try different things, sing the song differently. It deserves its own
13:01performances. It's fresh and it's raw and it's vulnerable. I love singing live because sometimes
13:07you can just play by the rules or you could just do whatever you want. So I like that.
13:12Do you ever try to change, not genres, but the music side of it?
13:18Yeah. Or sometimes I'll sing my song on top of another song and...
13:22Oh, you're doing mashups.
13:25Just like joking around with my band during soundcheck, singing covers and singing mashups
13:31of my songs and other songs. I'm always doing things like that. That's the great thing about
13:35music. I mean, there's only a limited amount of keys. So you could find your song and you
13:40can mash it up. I love that about it. Only a few months left of 2024. Again,
13:46that sounds insane. Are you a New Year's resolution kind of guy?
13:50I've set intentions for the year. I definitely will love to and will enjoy setting one for this
13:58year because I'm just excited to keep going and I love remaining hopeful. I love it. I love what I
14:08do. It's fun. I find joy in it. So I have so many goals and so many wishes to come true in 2025.
14:16Manifest them. Gotta start now.
14:19October. Have to do it. You mentioned there's more to come before the year wraps though.
14:23Would you care to elaborate? What's in the works?
14:26More work. So with more work might come more things, maybe potentially. I'm gonna give respect
14:35to the craft. If things go the way that I want to, hopefully you guys will hear a song or two
14:42from me again before the year is up. I think that would be really good.
14:45Yeah, that'd be great. Where's your favorite place to be right now? Where are you loving being?
14:50Favorite place to be? On my couch playing Fortnite, honestly, if I may be honest.
15:00Hey, I'd probably answer the same thing. Maybe not Fortnite. I'm hooked on the NCAA football.
15:05Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
15:05I can't stop, dude. That's like bad. I'm like recruiting kids at 3am on a college video game.
15:10I'm like a newfound gamer. Like I've loved games over the past few years,
15:14but one of my friends introduced me to Fortnite a couple months ago, and I just haven't left.
15:18Wow.
15:19Every night. I just love it. I'm like, I'm late.
15:22I was gonna say.
15:23Really late, y'all. Don't judge me.
15:25So if I'm on there and I see Khalid hopping around, I'm like, that's him, dude. He's playing.
15:28And I'm, hey.
15:30What are you doing on Fortnite?
15:32Let's just say I'm doing my thing.
15:36That's so funny. It's definitely one of those games where it's like, oh,
15:39I feel like I wouldn't start because I feel like I missed the boat, but maybe I should.
15:44It's timeless. Just like you.
15:46It is. Thank you.
15:47Thank you. Bringing it full circle.
15:49What's up on your to-do list, though? Because I'm troubling with like procrastinating at the end of
15:53this last few months. What's on your to-do list? What do you have to do still?
15:57Fitness goals. Fitness goals. I started going to the gym seriously around a year ago, and it's been
16:02so great for my sense of clarity, my mental health. So breaking some PRs and breaking some fitness
16:10goals. And I'm holding on to this hair right now, but I don't know, maybe by the end of the year,
16:16I might shave it all off. Who knows? There we go. Clean slate.
16:20I don't know. I'm spontaneous like that. I might join you. There's days where I'm like,
16:26yeah, I'm done, man. I hate drying my hair and everything.
16:29But it's awesome that you're in the gym. What's your favorite? What are you trying to PR on?
16:33You benching? No, I want to run a faster mile.
16:36Yeah. I'm like at an eight minute mile. I want to bump it down to a good 730.
16:43That's good. 730 before the year is up. Absolutely.
16:46I'm going to be running. Then those shows are going to be next level. You'll be doing
16:50the Fergie flips while you're singing. I want the cardio. I want the flips,
16:54the back flips, everything. I'm trying to be a superhero on the stage.
16:58Absolutely. I'm working on it.
17:00Is there performances in your mind, too, when you think of 2025?
17:03I would love to do some festivals. It's been a while. I love festivals. I love the energy. I love
17:10checking out other people's music and experiencing music. It's so joyful. It's the best place to be,
17:16being serenaded by all these beautiful artists around, all these people who are enjoying it.
17:20And then if you're not vibing with something, all you got to do is just walk a couple steps
17:24next to the next stage. Got a whole different vibe going on. I would love to do some festivals
17:30in the near future. I think that's amazing.
17:32Well, it was so fun, again, to have you at our We Can Survive. It's such a great group,
17:36too. I know you got to see Benson.
17:38It was great, and they killed it. Everybody incredible.
17:41They really did, especially when it's a great cause. So thank you again for doing that. Thank
17:45you for hanging out for a little bit, letting us know what's going on in your life. Is there
17:48anything left you want to let your fans know before we wrap?
17:52Stay healthy. Keep loving your life. That's all I got to say.
17:56Nice and simple.
17:57Hit those PRs.
17:58Hit those PRs.
17:59Ready for a new year. Amazing. Khalid, thank you so much.
18:01I appreciate the time.
18:02Thank you for having me.