I'm an African-American, I was 18 and 17 and 19 over the course of the album, and I'm exactly that. 'If I'm honest with myself, which is what I like to be, I was like, I'm a military kid. Naturally, the album title came from this collection of songs, and as Khalid explains, he wanted it to be an introduction to who he is as an individual. Stories that my friends went through, stories that I saw other people go through, and it was just all about putting that together, compiling it, and just expressing my youth especially.' 'It was almost like everything that I went through over the span of all of my high school career until now just created all of these different stories that I was able to share throughout the album. He may be in his last year of being a teenager now, but the stories in the tracks of his debut release happened when he was 17, 18, and 19 years old. Album DescriptionThe songs in American Teen are reflective of Khalid's teen years. See more Your browser does not support the audio element.

Dusty ballad 'Cold Blooded,' in particular, demonstrates that he's perfectly capable of conveying grief without being overly demonstrative. While he opens 'Another Sad Love Song' by confessing 'I'm not the best at showing my emotions,' some bright moments make it apparent that Robinson has clearly sold himself short. After a nonchalant chorus that consists primarily of the song's title and a lethargic warble - surprise - he dumps one of his best melodies in the bridge. On 'Young Dumb & Broke,' the mere concept of commitment seems so silly to him that he can't be bothered to enunciate the word, or maybe he just lost interest after the second syllable. There's not a whole lot of enthusiasm for revelry, dulled by substances, apathy, a combination of the two, or just the aspiration to look the part: 'I'm so faded off of all the things I've taken, and maybe I'm not really drunk, maybe I'm really good at faking.' There are points at which Robinson makes Frank Ocean sound like Teddy Pendergrass. 'American Teen' itself - hollowed-out late-'80s mall pop with a disco-funk bassline - is a youth anthem of shrugging aimlessness.

He's in no particular rush, content to drift through life while accepting, and occasionally sort of celebrating, the present. In that song, and through much of what fills out American Teen, his debut album, Robinson's not one to get worked up. Khalid Robinson made major commercial headway in early 2017 with 'Location,' a drowsy, teetering ballad the singer and songwriter seemed to deliver while lying on his bed, or maybe someone else's couch, eyes glued to his phone, just after waking up. Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.

American teen khalid album