Alternative R&B sensation Khalid has finally delivered his third album, Sincere, via Right Hand Music Group/RCA Records.
The 16-track offering was preceded by the Alicia Keys-sampled “Please Don’t Fall In Love With Me,” “Adore U” and “Ground.”
“Sincere is a combination of my life experiences; it takes inspiration from conversations that I have had with my fans, supporters, and the people that love me,” Khalid explains.
“When I listen back to this project, I hear a sound that’s so unique and represents me at my best. This album is me at 26, continuing to evolve with the knowledge that I have garnered throughout the years.”
In a recent interview with Zane Lowe of Apple Music, Khalid shared why he titled the album Sincere.
“It was a very difficult process in naming this album because I had to find one name that fully [encapsulated] — that summed up what I really felt in this music,” he said.
“And when I thought of the music, I thought of it as my most vulnerable in a while because when I’m thinking of these songs, I’m saving them over the year like, ‘Okay, no, I have to keep this. Okay, I have to keep this.’ And that’s vulnerable because I’ve known the impact that that song had to me when I was in the studio. And so I believe that if I trust my intention and I trust my heart, then it’ll have a similar impact to my listener.”
The El Paso, Texas, native also discusses the inspiration behind one of the album’s standout tracks, “Heatstroke,” produced by John Hill and Psymun.
“[It came from] a very, very, very passionate place through the years becoming re-inspired by my music again and thinking of my interests and thinking of songs that I love, songs from Fleetwood Mac or Young Folks,” Khalid told Zane Lowe. “When I enjoyed music, really enjoyed music, really lived with it, was really passionate about it, and I found myself back in that place, and it was intense.”
He continued, “And one thing that I really value is my ability to tell stories because I get to dream these realities and they come to life. I wrote this song in 2022 with All Day and John Hill. It was an incredible process, but I wouldn’t know how accurate this song would be until years later when we’re hit with all these heat waves and all these massive moments of heat. I wouldn’t have known, but that song definitely, like you said, it really brings the heat.”
Sincere is Khalid’s first album in five years and the follow-up to his 2021 EP, Scenic Drive.
In 2019, he released his sophomore project, Free Spirit, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Free Spirit included the Grammy-nominated hit “Talk” featuring Disclosure and “Better.” The former track, which hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Songs chart, is certified 7x platinum by the RIAA, with over seven million equivalent units sold.
In April 2019, Khalid teamed up with rappers Megan Thee Stallion and Yo Gotti to release his “Talk (Remix).”
Meanwhile, “Better” is certified 6x platinum, with over six million equivalent units sold.
Khalid released his lauded debut album, American Teen, in 2017. The coming-of-age album included his breakout single “Location” and his other smash hit “Young Dumb & Broke.”
In 2022, “Location” was certified diamond by the RIAA for selling over 10 million equivalent units.
American Teen earned him multiple nominations at the 60th Grammy Awards, including Best Urban Contemporary Album (now called Best Progressive R&B Album), Best R&B Song (“Location”), and Best New Artist.
He also landed Best Music Video and Song of the Year nods for his feature on Logic’s “1-800-273-8255” with Alessia Cara.
Stream Khalid’s new album Sincere below.