

The Billboard 200-topping Free Spirit (2019) wasn't released until two years after American Teen, but Khalid was busy throughout the interim with an assortment of featured appearances and collaborations, highlighted by the Top Ten pop hits "Love Lies" (with Normani) and "Eastside" (headlined by Benny Blanco).

Within a period of just over a year, Khalid went from an unknown, everyday teenager to a chart-topping, platinum-certified pop star with Grammy nominations for "Location" and American Teen, plus Logic's "1-80," on which he appeared. Although he attained a major-label contract within months of uploading his first songs, "Location" moved into the mainstream at a slow tempo similar to that of the song itself and became a Top 20 pop hit just after the release of American Teen (2017), one of the biggest album debuts of the late 2010s. Just out of high school when he made his commercial debut with the ballad "Location" (2016), non-traditional R&B singer and songwriter Khalid has attracted a large following with an undemonstrative but heartfelt vocal style and a down-to-earth perspective.
