Suncity

BY: BAILEY A.

Photography: Twitter

Towards the end of October, popular R&B artist Khalid dropped a new Extended Play named “Suncity”. The EP includes a total of 7 tracks, two of which being interludes. The EP has a very soothing tone and marks a new era of music for Khalid.

Since the release of his hit debut album American Teen, which has gone platinum, 20-year-old Khalid has become a major artist whose music defines this generation. Collaborating with other major artists such as Logic, Marshmello, Normani, 6LACK, and Ty Dolla $ign, Khalid has worked his way up to the top of the charts.

The artist has credited his success to his home-town of El Paso, TX. He has stated that the friendships and the love that he experienced there were extremely influential to him. In honor of that, Khalid’s new EP has been called “a love letter” to his hometown. The name of the album itself is referring to El Paso, which is also known as the Sun City, due to the fact it has roughly 302 days of sun every year. The EP begins with an interlude called “9.13”. On September 13th, the mayor of El Paso, Dee Margo, presented Khalid with the key to the city. In this interlude, music plays over Mayor Margo presenting the key to Khalid. He remarks that he is “forever from the city of the 9-1-5”, referring to a famous lyric from one of Khalid’s most popular songs “American Teen.” He has made it very clear that wherever his music and career takes him, his heart will remain in El Paso.

One of the most popular songs of the EP is “Saturday Nights”. This song has a soothing and relaxing tone, due to Khalid’s smooth voice and the soft beat that goes along with it. One of the things that sets Khalid apart from other artists is that his lyrics have meaning, and almost all of his songs are related to youth and all of the ups and downs that come along with it. Other than the catchy chorus, this song offers up several verses that are directed towards a primarily teen/young adult audience. In this track, Khalid sings, “Stay up, workin’ late at a job you hate and fix’ your makeup in a dirty bathroom”, relating to how teens must sometimes work jobs that they don’t want to in order to cover their expenses that their parents have started to pay for less and less.

This EP, being Khalid’s first solo work since the release of American Teen, has been said to be a preview of what’s next for this artist, and that is the beginning of a new era of his music. Although short, this EP offers up several catchy, yet relatable, tracks that are definitely worth a listen.