Around the time Khalid released his sophomore album Free Spirit in 2019, he was named the most-streamed artist worldwide on Spotify.
Two years later, with his third album in the works, the R&B sensation is now the frontrunner in the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) contest as the youngest artist to sell over 74.5 million certified units in the United States.
The same day Khalid shared the historic accomplishment on Instagram, he scored big with nine new certifications. The current breakdown includes three multi-platinum single awards: “Better” (6x), “Talk” (5x), and “Saturday Night Lights” (3x).
Free Spirit, the album, has earned the double-platinum label. Meanwhile, four new gold trophies featured an engraving of song titles from the LP, such as “Bad Luck,” “Don’t Pretend,” “Outta My Head,” and the title track.
Khalid reflected on the RIAA news in a lengthy Instagram post, writing, “Day after day, I’m so thankful for the amount of growth I’ve gone through on all aspects. I remember being 17, pursuing a music career, and having absolutely no clue on where my life was going to take me.
I’m so happy to be able to be in the position to do what I love and receive an abundance of love right back. I don’t take ANYTHING for granted and I’m so appreciative of every conversation/moment I’ve experienced on this ongoing journey, but every moment I’ve experienced has taught me more about myself and the type of artist I want to become.”
Khalid also hinted at his next album, calling it his “most personal project yet.”
This week, Khalid teamed up with J Balvin for the new song “Otra Noche Sin Ti.” It arrived with a supporting video. The previous month, Khalid went number-one the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart with Alicia Keys for “So Done.”