‘My best songs are written on my iPhone’

Teenage music sensation Khalid is currently blazing the charts, with beyond-his-years hits, seemingly penned by songwriters older than the Texas native. Currently positioning himself as one of the most striking voices of his generation, he spoke to Time magazine in a brief interview, which we have excerpted.  It was pointed out that R&B is getting […]

Teenage music sensation Khalid is currently blazing the charts, with beyond-his-years hits, seemingly penned by songwriters older than the Texas native. Currently positioning himself as one of the most striking voices of his generation, he spoke to Time magazine in a brief interview, which we have excerpted. 

It was pointed out that R&B is getting deconstructed a lot these days, so Khalid was asked why he thinks it’s happening at a time of national upheaval for the United States. “Because it’s honest,” he answered. “Nowadays there’s a lot of dishonesty. Trying to find yourself is the hardest thing,” he continued, adding that he feels people connect to his music because he was vulnerable about whatever he was going through when he wrote his material.

Technology was raised, as well as its role in his creative process, to which Khalid answered: “My best songs are written on my iPhone. I click back and forth between Voice Memos and Notes. On Voice Memos, I record all my melodies. If I’m in a session and feeling the mood, I can play a memo and we can re-create it.”

Khalid was also asked how he begins his song writing process, and he revealed that it’s a form of therapy for him. “I have to put my emotions into a song. All of music is based off moods and feelings,” he said, ending the interview by saying the R&B scene is growing, and that he is glad to be a part of that.