Checking in with Audacy’s Mike Adam at the Hard Rock Hotel in New York, Khalid chatted all about his new album Sincere, song samples, possible collab project pairings, and more.

With five years between his last and most recent album, Khalid spoke to why he knew now was the time to finally drop his third album.

“Well when I started off, I started writing music at 17 years old. So to go from being a high school student to a multi-platinum career in a matter of 2 to 3 years… it was insane,” Khalid began. “It’s nothing that they can teach you, it’s nothing that they can prepare you for. So I really feel like I had to take some time off to write, to understand what I wanted my true impact as an artist to be on this earth. What ways I wanted to connect with my fans, and so it took a lot of lived experiences, and walking life, and seeing the world… seeing different sides of the world for me to get to this point where I finished this album… and I feel like I’m putting something out that is rooted in my core, it’s exactly the name of the album, it’s Sincere.”

The album’s lead single "Please Don't Fall in Love with Me,” samples the Alicia Keys and Drake 2009 bop “Unthinkable (I’m Ready).” A song millennials need no introduction to, but perhaps the Gen-Zs listening do. A thought that got Mike thinking to ask Khalid if he can remember the first song he heard that he didn't know was a sample, that introduced him to an old song or even a recent song that he might have not known about before.

“I would say it was this song, one of my favorite songs actually that I've loved for years, ‘Feel It All Around’ by Washed Out," Khalid shared. “I didn't know that the whole baseline of that song is a sample from another song." After some internet research, it turns out the sample is Italian singer Gary Low's "I Want You,” released in 1983.

Khalid also mentioned “Changes,” by Tupac as an example, noting “I love the sample now,” adding that he’s “been listening to ‘The Way It Is,' Bruce Hornsby, for a minute now, I’m addicted to that song.”

Having sampled Drake and being, as Mike put it, “a lifelong die hard Kendrick fan as well, he wanted to know Khalid’s thoughts on if he feels that “in 2024 rap beef is still important for the culture, for Hip-Hop."

Admitting that he while definitely believes “that competition in any sport is important to thrive, to create, for the culture,” he went on to say, “Me, I'm a little Pop star that stays out the way and minds my own business. So I don't really get too much in other people's business or anybody else's altercations. I kind of try to choose a low profile, chill, relaxed life over here.”
Adding, “as long as people are looking at it for their benefit, to thrive in creativity… I don't necessarily see it as a problem.”

So if Khalid was to come out with a full project, or even an EP with a rapper, Mike wanted to know who the self-proclaimed “Pop star” thinks he’d pair well with, and create the project with. “Oh, I don't know, actually… I'm more of a vibe person. I feel like it's about just sitting in the room with you, getting to know who you are, connecting with you on a deeper level,” Khalid said at first, before coming to the realization that if he were to “choose any rapper to do a collaboration project with, I'm definitely going with 6LACK.”

“I mean, we've already done songs together so we have chemistry," he continued. “I would probably do something with J. Cole as well. I've met him and he was super kind to me… I feel like kindness is key, if you can have a conversation and you can meet someone and you can connect with them, then the sky's the limit.”

Khalid also went on to reflect on the polished engineering of today’s music, as opposed to the more raw and less refined vocals from musicians of the past, such as Al Green or Marvin Gaye.

“I feel like nostalgia is one of the biggest drugs known to man. We have to just understand that times are different and auto-tune can also be a talent. The way that people can utilize these programs on their computers, that has to be respected for something. But it doesn't mean that there's not classically trained musicians that are thriving and are killing it in the game. But I like to see the beauty in both sides of the spectrum.”

Khalid also went on to reveal what track almost didn’t make it on the album, talk about his love for writing music, his music writing process, and more. To catch it all, check out the entire interview above.

Words by Maia Kedem Interview by Mike Adam