One year after being outed as gay by an ex<\/a>, and almost a decade since releasing the breakout hit song \u201cLocation,\u201d Khalid<\/a> had an all-encompassing interview with Apple Music\u2019s Zane Lowe<\/a> to promote his fourth studio album, After the Sun Goes Down<\/em>, and discuss this very particular moment in the singer\u2019s career and personal life.<\/p>\n A standout moment from the interview started with Lowe bringing up the topic of \u201cboundaries\u201d (or lack thereof) between artists and their fans, which can lead to parasocial relationships. \u201cAt the end of the day, your job is to create music that you\u2019re honest about, and our job is to embrace it, if we love it,\u201d Lowe remarked.<\/p>\n To that point, Khalid referenced one of the most perplexing reactions<\/a> he\u2019s seen from his critics, \u201cOh my god, he\u2019s gay, now his music is gonna suck,\u201d which has made him feel the urge to ask: \u201cWhat do you mean?!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you liked my music before, there\u2019s a high chance that you\u2019re gonna continue to like my music\u2026 Because I\u2019ve always been gay,\u201d Khalid clapped back. \u201cIt just doesn\u2019t make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n Khalid and Normani in the music video for \u2018Personal.\u2019<\/small>RCA Records<\/small><\/p>\n Lowe observed that there must be \u201ctrauma attached to that outing\u201d given that the whole thing \u201cfelt accusatory<\/a>, at least in the way that it was presented.\u201d Has Khalid been struggling to trust people again?<\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019s why I lived my life the way that I did for so long,\u201d Khalid replied. He had already come out to certain people, like fellow artists Kiana Led\u00e9 and Normani. However, Khalid was still blindsided and felt unprepared for being outed as gay.<\/p>\n \u201cWe live in a world where, once that is out, it\u2019s so hard for people to focus on everything that\u2019s not that. It\u2019s so crazy,\u201d Khalid remarked. \u201cThere\u2019s half of these people who are like, \u2018I love you.\u2019 [Another] half of these people, \u2018I hate you; How could you hide this from me?\u2019 I\u2019m like, \u2018You know what? I\u2019m not hiding anything from you. It\u2019s just none of your business.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n In the interview, Khalid clarified that he certainly wasn\u2019t planning to stay in the closet<\/a> for the rest of his life. In fact, people close to him already knew about it. \u201cThe openness started with Sincere<\/em>, but it\u2019s like I was dipping my toe into the water, or into the pool, [and then] I got pushed into the pool.\u201d<\/p>\n After being outed and confirming his sexuality on social media, Khalid recalled that his thought-process eventually landed on, \u201cYou know what? It\u2019s actually not that bad. If anything, I love it here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShying away from the world\u2026 I’ve done all that already. I did that for eight years of my career,\u201d he went on. \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018The only decision that I can possibly make is embracing it all.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n When asked about the short period of time between his last two albums, Khalid explained how his fourth LP, After the Sun Goes Down<\/em>, wouldn\u2019t have been possible without the \u201cgroundwork\u201d of his third LP, Sincere<\/em>, which he described as a \u201csteppingstone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was holding onto all of this depression and sadness, and I\u2019m able to bottle it up and give it to my fans, and it connected to people in a way where they really felt my hurt,\u201d the singer said. \u201cNow that I got the hurt out, there was just so much freedom, so much love to discover. And it makes so much sense that that love<\/em>, to discover, translated through the music.\u201d<\/p>\n Khalid argued that the reason why so many fans are still obsessed with his debut studio album \u2014 2017\u2019s American Teen<\/em>, which included his breakout hit \u201cLocation\u201d \u2014 is because that LP was all about \u201cfreedom,\u201d and \u201cexpression.\u201d<\/p>\n After the Sun Goes Down<\/em> allowed Khalid to reconnect with that state of mind, he noted, instead of making music \u201cto please the masses\u201d in 2019\u2019s Free Spirit<\/em> and 2024\u2019s Sincere<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t making music for myself,\u201d Khalid declared. \u201cI was extremely detached, because, although the music was great, and it did what it did, my heart just wasn\u2019t in it.\u201d<\/p>\n Khalid described After the Sun Goes Down<\/em> as an \u201cenergetic transfer\u201d to a younger version of himself. \u201cThis album is my own letter to that young boy, telling him all the possibilities that he can actually be, if he just lets that fear go, [and] lets that hurt go.\u201d<\/p>\n And that point stands in terms of musical references, too. \u201cThat was a child that lived through the 2000s, that lived through the 2010s, and saw some of the most groundbreaking pop moments. The introduction of \u2018dirty pop\u2019 into the world was major, and was controversial.\u201d<\/p>\n The singer added that the album is \u201cmy homage to the risk-takers, to the Janets, to the Britneys, to the people who really pushed their pedigree and were like, \u2018I\u2019m going to do it my way.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n For Khalid, After the Sun Goes Down<\/em> is his own chance to put leave a mark in pop culture. \u201cAnd I\u2019m going to do it as well,\u201d he remarks.<\/p>\n Watch the full Zane Lowe interview with Khalid below, or directly from the Apple Music app<\/a>. Khalid\u2019s fourth studio album, After the Sun Goes Down<\/em><\/strong>, is available on all music streaming platforms<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\nKhalid explained his frustration with being outed, and also named the peers that he could count on.<\/h2>\n
The path to regaining control of his own narrative, life story, and privacy.<\/h2>\n
![\"Khalid](\"https:\/\/www.out.com\/media-library\/khalid-and-normani-in-the-music-video-for-in-plain-sight.jpg?id=61741162&width=980\")
Khalid described his 2024 album \u2018Sincere\u2019 as a steppingstone to feeling \u2018free.\u2019<\/h2>\n
![\"Khalid](\"https:\/\/www.out.com\/media-library\/khalid-in-the-album-artwork-for-sincere.jpg?id=61741170&width=980\")
For the singer, \u2018After the Sun Goes Down\u2019 is as personal as \u2018American Teen.\u2019<\/h2>\n
![\"Khalid](\"https:\/\/www.out.com\/media-library\/khalid-in-an-album-artwork-variant-for-american-teen.jpg?id=61741182&width=980\")
\u2018After the Sun Goes Down\u2019 is a letter to Khalid\u2019s inner child \u2014 and a celebration of the 2000s.<\/h2>\n
![\"Khalid](\"https:\/\/www.out.com\/media-library\/khalid-in-the-album-artwork-for-after-the-sun-goes-down.jpg?id=61741175&width=980\")