Khalid Turns The Honesty Lever Past The Breaking Point On New Song 'Self'

Khalid's April 5th release date for his upcoming album Free Spirit looms on the horizon. Today, he's determined to give fans another taste of what to expect on his sophomore album with "Self," a strong, weak song about confronting one's seclusion once they require a guiding light. With production from esteemed producer Hit-Boy, this lavish tune exposes an even more personalized side of Khalid than we're used to.


The atmosphere of "Self" is colorful and plucky. It's also yellow and mellow at the same time, like the last glimpses of the fading blue sky on the spiral to sunset. It's largely due to Hit-Boy's understated brilliance here who invokes the easiest backend with flourishes of spring. While the production is nice and fluffy nevertheless, Khalid's lyrics are anything nevertheless. The singer confronts his masculinity and why it prevents him from seeking help with his own mental issues and insecurities. "He understands I hear him cryin'/Cryin' out for help/I don't know how to save him/I can't even save myself," he sings somberly. Speaking about himself in the third person enables him to present the conflict between the two halves that we all have – the one is confident and pushing forward, and the other that's secretly clawing at the door for help.


On April 3, Khalid's Free Spirit companion film comes out in theaters worldwide. He's been crafting quite the rollout for the upcoming LP; recently, he released two cinematic visuals for "Talk" and "Saturday Nights (Remix)," the latter featuring a stunning vocal efficiency from Kane Brown.


Listen to the trustworthy song up above.