Rising R&B star exudes authenticity
Everything about Khalid just feels so authentic.
It doesn’t feel like he’s trying to be somebody he’s not or trying to manufacture some kind of cool public image. He’s just Khalid, the 20-year-old from El Paso, Texas, who is living the dream while going through a lot of the same things that face others of his age group.
That’s his most charming aspect, which was fully on display in both his music and his banter during a sold-out show Saturday at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.
He’s easy to relate to, which makes him easy to cheer for. And the crowd did the latter at full volume for much of the night. Yet Khalid didn’t seem to let all the adoration go to his head. He just played it cool and kept it real.
The platinum-selling R&B singer — who also played the same venue Sunday — was performing in front of some 8,500 fans. Yet there were times when he acted like he was just hanging with some newly made friends in his living room.
“When is your prom?” he asked one group of fans near the front of the stage.
He then went on to talk about his own prom, saying he was voted prom king but the prom queen didn’t want to dance with him. And, judging by the choice words he then hurled in said queen’s direction, it appears that Khalid still isn’t over his prom night.
But you know, some high school memories just never fade.
He also chatted with the crowd about movies and talked a little more about high school, which was a topic that connected with most of the young concertgoers. He then mentioned Roxy, his canine companion that died a little over a month ago. But he didn’t want to get too down about the loss of Roxy.
“I wanted this to be a celebration,” he said. “I didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for me that my dog died.” Authentic, right? And it only deepened as he began to sing tunes off his debut release, “American Teen,” which was the best R&B album of last year.
He opened the show with “8teen,” crooning with worry about “Damn, my car still smells like marijuana/ My mom is gonna kill me.” But rather than sweat it too much, he’s just going to “shake away all the stress off my shoulders” because “I’m eighteen/And I still live with my parents.”
It was like eavesdropping on a conversation at a school cafeteria, right?
Yet you don’t have to be in Khalid’s age group to enjoy a song like “Young, Dumb and Broke.” It’s been years since I have qualified for at least two out three of those. Still, there’s a timeless element to Khalid’s music that makes his sentiments and his lyrics transcend generations. And I think it’s authenticity, which is something this guy has for days.
That’s not to say it was a great show. It wasn’t. The show wasn’t nearly as good as the album. But that might not be a fair comparison, since the album is nothing short of a towering triumph.
It’s clear that Khalid still has a lot to learn as a performer, especially in terms of being able to lift the material to a higher level. He lacks a bit of stage presence and his material feels somewhat one-dimensional and monotonous taken in a 100-minute dose.
But he’s got the voice. He’s got the songwriting chops. And he’s got something even more precious:
Authenticity.