Music
Khalid: 'Focus on Individuality' Led to Success
Singer-songwriter Khalid, who at 19 has stormed the charts with his album "American Teen," reveals that he's wise beyond his years in the latest installment of "3-2-1."
Khalid, the sensational 19-year-old singer-songwriter, has lived in a whirlwind since the release of his debut album, "American Teen," last month. He has already performed on "The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon" and "Ellen" and his voice can be heard on the recent Kendrick Lamar track "Heart Part IV."
But Khalid had an extremely peripatetic life even before his newfound fame. The son of a mother in the military, he has spent time in — among other places — Germany, New York and El Paso, Texas, where he finished high school.
"When I had moved from New York to El Paso, I was so worried about making new friends, but I wasn't focused on who I was and who I wanted to become, especially during my senior year in high school," he said during a recent "3-2-1" interview with Red Bull Music, in which he emphasized focusing on individuality.
"Once I started throwing all of those unnecessary worries out of my head and I started focusing on who I was as a creative, I started writing music — and music changed my life."
In the same interview, Khalid reveals his three favorite songs on "American Teen" and two words to describe the hopes and dreams of American teens. Watch the entire interview below.