The legend, the icon, the superstar!
Khalid at the GRAMMY Museum L.A. Live.Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Born into a family of military parents, Khalid spent his childhood constantly changing locations (yes, pun intended) until finally settling in El Paso, Texas. Since breaking out with a hit song uploaded to SoundCloud, Khalid has released three studio albums, an EP, and a mixtape.
Khalid is best known for having a rich, soothing voice that brings to life romantic R&B songs that have withstood the test of time. In late November 2024, Khalid confirmed that he was gay after being outed on social media — but instead of stressing over it or getting any backlash from listeners, he just became an even bigger icon that he already was!
Khalid's X post was received with a flood of love and support from fans, and even other queer people who didn't know him that well still empathized with the circumstances that led his outing and subsequent coming out.
So, whether you're a first-time listener who wants to learn more about Khalid's work, or a longtime fan who's happy about the singer reclaiming the narrative of his own life, this feels like the right time to spotlight standout tracks from this beloved R&B star. From massive hit songs to lesser-known bops, the following playlist is a great outline to show the overall growth in Khalid's life and career.
Scroll through to check out some of our favorite bops from Khalid, who you can follow on Instagram (@thegr8khalid).
"Location"
We can't go down the list of essential Khalid bops without mentioning the first hit song that kickstarted a huge wave in the R&B singer's career. 2016's "Location" — which was originally just uploaded on SoundCloud for free — became an instant classic and served as a soundtrack to the times.
The song eventually received a well-deserved Diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), but Khalid's career was only getting started.
"Young, Dumb & Broke"
Khalid's debut studio album, American Teen, followed up its lead single, "Location," with another irresistible bop, "Young, Dumb & Broke."
Much like that first single, "Young, Dumb & Broke" presented Khalid as a romantic guy longing for romance while operating under the pretense that things didn't have to get too serious. In the lyrics, Khalid is heard trying to convince his love interest (but perhaps himself, too) that they're young, dumb, and broke… so why not have some fun?
"1-800-273-8255" (with Logic and Alessia Cara)
Logic's "1-800-273-8255" featuring Khalid and Alessia Cara felt like a really powerful statement in 2017 considering that such a talented trio of young artists managed to actually craft a good song about mental health.
Despite what the title suggests, this song didn't feel preachy at any point, or even patronizing to young people. Through expressing their vulnerabilities and showcasing their talents, Khalid, Alessia Cara, and Logic transformed this "song with a message" into a hit record that peaked at no. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and accumulated over 450 million views on YouTube.
"Love Lies" (with Normani)
The music industry is always eager to unite two artists in an attempt to elevate both of their careers. But when "Love Lies" was released, it felt like a much more intense amalgamation of forces than the usual collab that fans are used to.
Khalid, who had already proven his reach as a solo artist, and Normani, who had fans salivating for her post-Fifth Harmony solo career, joined forces to create "Love Lies" — a song featured in the soundtrack of the 2018 gay coming-of-age film Love, Simon.
As that movie also turned out to be successful, it came as no surprise when the track entered the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
"Lovely" (with Billie Eilish)
Billie Eilish and Khalid collaborated on a song together, "Lovely," released in the season 2 soundtrack album of Netflix's 13 Reasons Why. The song, which went beyond viral, was eventually also included in the expanded version of Eilish's debut EP Don't Smile At Me.
As of this writing, "Lovely" has reached a staggering 2.1 billion views on YouTube.
"OTW" (with Ty Dolla Sign & 6lack)
The release of "OTW" (an acronym for "on the way") between Khalid, Ty Dolla Sign, and 6lack felt like a standalone track for the artists as they were in between projects.
After doing huge numbers on streaming services and YouTube, "OTW" ended up being featured as a bonus track on Khalid's subsequent EP.
"Better"
"Better" was the official lead single of Khalid's first (and, so far, only) EP, Suncity, from 2018. Unsurprisingly, the song also became a smash hit — peaking at no. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and crossing 1 billion views on YouTube.
"Talk"
Khalid's sophomore album, 2019's Free Spirit, came out swinging with "Talk" as its lead single.
Not only did the R&B star shatter any doubts that he might not be able to deliver a second album that felt as strong as American Teen, but he surpassed all expectations by reaching the no. 3 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 once again… this time, all by himself, without any other feature on the song.
"Right Back" (with A Boogie With Da Hoodie)
"Right Back," featuring A Boogie With Da Hoodie, was another huge hit from Khalid's Free Spirit album. Even though Khalid had already been incorporating a more pop and upbeat energy to his body of work over the years, this 1990s-infused song and music video felt like a standout moment in his career — showing his growth as a human being and artist who had now been in the spotlight for three years.
"Present"
Prior to working on his third studio album, Khalid made a left turn and dropped a mixtape, Scenic Drive, in 2021. The biggest song from that project was "Present," a romantic track that felt like a back-to-basics moment for the singer.
Given the difficulties that most people were experiencing at the time — from lockdown guidelines to the loss of loved ones, "Present" felt like a warm hug and timely song about the importance of showing up and being close to the people you love.
"Satellite"
Khalid released a string of standalone tracks between the Scenic Drive mixtape and his forthcoming third studio album. One of those bops, "Satellite," is arguably the biggest clue that Khalid had been opening up about his sexuality for a while already… if anyone was paying attention, that is!
This colorful music video with fun choreography showed Khalid being more liberated than ever in his work.
"Please Don't Fall in Love With Me"
Sampling from "Un-thinkable (I'm Ready)" by Alicia Keys, "Please Don't Fall in Love With Me" was the lead single of Khalid's third studio album, Sincere, released in August 2024.
In it, Khalid sings about getting his heart broken by a person who left him for someone else right as he was starting to trust their relationship. Though his catalog of love songs was never necessarily interpreted through a queer lens, it's interesting to revisit his work and think about it now that he's an out gay musician.
