For some being outed about your sexuality is the worst attainable factor, however for Khalid, it was a “blessing in disguise.”
In a brand new interview with Folks journal, the 27-year-old singer shares how he navigated being outed on-line by an ex almost a yr in the past in November 2024.
Whereas he sees the state of affairs as “a blessing in disguise” now, initially he recalled being “caught off guard.”
“I feel what’s so nasty about all of it is that my very own story acquired stripped away from me,” he continued. “I made a decision I’m simply going to decide on to like who I’m unconditionally as a result of it’s all I acquired on this earth.”
The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, who first broke out in 2017 with “American Teen” and smash hits like “Location” and “Younger Dumb & Broke,” discovered himself on the middle of headlines final fall when an ex-partner aired their non-public enterprise in a messy thread on X. The posts accused him of manipulative habits and dredged up particulars from their previous relationship, sparking hypothesis and a frenzy of commentary on-line.
On the time, Khalid took it in stride publicly and finally defined in a publish on X: “I acquired outted and the world nonetheless continues to show. Let’s get this straight (lmao) I’m not ashamed of my sexuality! In actuality it ain’t nobodies enterprise! However I’m okay with me, love yall.”
That second, he now says, grew to become transformative. Not solely did it push him to reside extra brazenly, but it surely additionally impressed his upcoming album, “After the Solar Goes Down.” In contrast to the pop-R&B hybrid that made him a family identify, the venture leans right into a rawer, extra weak sound, one he describes as embracing his sexuality “relentlessly” and “fearlessly.”
“This album is a celebration of being out and a illustration of my queerness,” he advised Folks, including that it seemingly “wouldn’t have come to be if I wasn’t outed.”
“After the Solar Goes Down” is slated for launch on Friday, October 10.
