Khalid bio, age, height, girlfriend, career path, family, ethnicity 2024

Biography of rapper Khalid

Rapper Khalid made a meteoric entrance into the global music scene in 2017 and within a year, he received the most prestigious award in music - a Grammy. Sir Elton John poetically referred to him as a rising star and dedicated a song to him.

Childhood. Beginnings of Career

Khalid Donnel Robinson was born on February 11, 1998, at the Fort Stewart military base in Georgia, where his mother served. In the U.S. Army, Linda Wolf handled supply issues and sang in the army choir.

The future idol of American teenagers didn't know his father, but his mother did everything to ensure Khalid didn't feel deprived. Due to Linda's job, they had to move frequently. The boy lived on military bases in Kentucky, New York, and spent six years in Germany. Finally, when it was time to transition to middle school, the family settled in El Paso, Texas.

Khalid attended a local school, where he started going to an acting studio and taking vocal lessons. The young man inherited his musical abilities from his mother. Linda was not only the lead singer of the army choir, but also a passionate fan of R'n'B performers like TLC and Brandy Norwood. According to the musician, he owes his career to his mother, considering her his main critic and best friend.

Khalid began writing his first songs in high school. Encouraged by his mother, the teenager published his recordings on the music creation site SoundCloud. In 2016, his lyrical composition "Location", which later appeared on the young artist's debut album, topped many charts and attracted the attention of Rolling Stone and Buzzfeed columnists.

Khalid - Location

The popularity reached the former schoolboy just as millions of teenagers dreaming of fame imagine it, that is, instantly. In January 2017, "Location" entered the top 20 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and set a record by receiving platinum certification four times.

"American Teen"

The young artist released his first album shortly after graduating from school in March 2017. The lyrical and poignant, subtly quiet "American Teen" was recorded with the support of RCARecords and Right Hands labels. The album includes 14 tracks, among which are the hit songs "Saved", "Therapy", "Winter", and the famous "Angels", which was later featured in the series "Grey's Anatomy".

Khalid - Angels

The album shattered stereotypes about the "standard American teenager", supposedly satiated with life and without serious problems.

Raised by a single mother, wandering through different cities all his childhood, always the new kid, Khalid had a lot to say about loneliness, loyal friendship, and a broken heart. All this was generously sprinkled with references to modern ways of communication, mobile applications, and trendy youth drugs.

It's no surprise that the newly released album was hailed as a musical sensation, and Khalid became the voice of the young generation of Americans.

Khalid released his first album shortly after graduating from school

According to some critics, the phenomenon of Khalid's songs lies in their sincerity and melody, in his quiet and almost intimate vocal range of just two octaves, and in the absence of the aggression common to many freshmen. Others highlighted the factor of universality, noting that the album can be listened to almost constantly, revealing new meanings in seemingly simple words.

In the fall of 2017, "American Teen" predictably received platinum certification and won the "Best Urban Album" category, earning Khalid his first Grammy.

Rapper Khalid burst into the global music scene like a comet

In the fall of 2017 and half of 2018, Khalid spent on tour trips around the cities of America and performed in the largest cities of Europe: Paris, London, Berlin, and Amsterdam.

Together with rapper Swae Lee, he recorded the song "The Ways", which was used in the film "Black Panther", and in a duet with singer Normani, he released the single "Love Lies", which was featured in the dramatic film about love and teen problems "Love, Simon", starring Josh Duhamel, Tony Hale, Talitha Bateman, and Jennifer Garner.

Khalid & Normani - Love Lies

In 2018, Elton John himself stated that he sees in Khalid's songs something more than the loneliness common to many teenagers. The maestro characterized Khalid's creativity as having a hypnotic sensual depth and called him a new shining star. It is known that Sir Elton John recorded his version of his composition "Young Dumb & Broke" from his debut album, and also dedicated the song "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" to Khalid.

Sir Elton John poetically called Khalid a new rising star

In April 2018, Khalid released the single "Lovely", recorded in collaboration with singer Billie Eilish. The song was included in the OST of the series "13 Reasons Why" with Katherine Langford.

"Free Spirit"

In April 2019, the artist presented his second album "Free Spirit" with an accompanying short film. The aesthetic album, characterized by its signature subdued sound, includes 17 tracks, among which are "Better" and "Talk", the most listened to tracks.

Khalid - Better

Although critics called "Free Spirit" much less original than the first album, the record solidly took the first position in the Billboard 200. At the end of April, Khalid set an unprecedented record, becoming the only artist whose songs occupied the top five in the Billboard R&B Songs chart.

Khalid's Personal Life

In 2023, the idol of millions of teenagers and the voice of a new generation, as Khalid is called by the media, turned 25. He stated that he is still too young and therefore does not rush to tie himself down with serious relationships, preferring to develop his music career. However, in the same year, he was caught in a romance with singer Alina Baraz, but the relationship did not last long.

The tall, bearded strongman is known for his good-natured cheerful character, highly values the support and love of his mother to whom he is tenderly attached, and enjoys immense popularity among girls.

Khalid Now

Khalid released a new single in June 2021. The song 'New Normal' was expected to be included in his third album "Everything Is Changing" and serve as its lead single. In writing it, the singer expressed the emotions he accumulated during the coronavirus lockdown, which brought him and his loved ones a lot of emotional distress.

Khalid - New Normal (Official Video)

In December of the same year, the musician presented the mixtape "Scenic Drive", and shortly before that, he released another single - "Backseat". Furthermore, his song "Silver Platter" was included in the soundtrack for Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" movie.

In 2023, Khalid participated in Ed Sheeran's "+-=/x" concert tour to support the fifth and sixth albums of the musician. In June, Khalid was involved in a car accident and was unable to perform at Sheeran's concert. Fortunately, the singer was not seriously injured and soon returned to performances.

Ethel Pate Journalist