Khalid stopped by Z100 to talk with Maxwell about his rapid rise to one of the most buzzed about young artists in the music industry. The 19-year-old dropped his debut album American Teen only a few short months ago, but he's already starting to take the world by storm. The newly minted teen superstar from El Paso Texas is blown away by his quick success, warmly telling Maxwell about getting recognized by fans in Toronto as "the American teen." When asked why he thinks so many people from all over the world are relating to his music, Khalid said he believes it's because his art is all about "peace, love and positivity."
"The crazy thing is that I get to be myself," Khalid added with a smile. "I'm like 'wow, these people are really here for me' and they're riding so hard for me so early on." He says he likes to talk to his fans like friends because "they didn't have to give me all that love, but they did. I definitely have to give back and I have to show them that you're not supporting me for the wrong reasons."
This authenticity comes across in Khalid's music, as well, including the song that Khalid says changed his life forever. The 19-year-old reminisced about creating 'Location' simply based off the good vibes he was feeling during his senior year of high school. Bolstered by unwavering support from his close friends, Khalid headed into the studio which just them and his mom. The result, of course, was 'Location,' which took the American Teen to heights he once thought impossible.
This is just the beginning for Khalid and we can't wait to see what he gets up to next.