Recently, I’ve come across an artist named Khalid. I’m interested in when he puts out a full-length album, which at the moment is scheduled for March. Right now, he only has some singles out, but his lyrics and beats make the tracks addictive to those things on either side of your head called ears. My favorite singles are “Shot Down” and “Reasons.” I’m first drawn to a song because of the overall vibe of the song, and, eventually, I get into the lyrics. And there was no exception when I stumbled across Khalid. Shout out to Spotify for throwing the young gun into the playlist.
Anyway, I want to draw some attention to the major theme(s) of his music, which like most RnB singers, is relationships, love, and turmoil. What I like most about his music is that even though he is 18 years old, he doesn’t really reduce the complexities a relationship. Even though most RnB is sappy or sexual in its persuasion, Khalid produced songs, so far, that reach into the human condition that many of us will never shake: we want to connect with another in a meaningful way.
It is interesting because I recently read an article in Psychology Today on Intimacy. Don’t ask me why I picked up a psychology magazine. All I remember was that I got bored of writing and staring at Moodle for my classes at Seminary. So, I looked around for some of the less academic magazines or journals in the Fuller Library. Blah, blah, I skimmed through Psych. Today, and this article caught my eye, so I read it. The article had some intriguing thoughts on the topic, and I don’t remember ridiculing the article as a whole. Notwithstanding, there were parts of I found iffy, at best. Of course, that’s my normal tendency. Lisa Phillips, the article’s author, states concerning this deep human desire for intimacy that,
“Small wonder the quest for intimacy is everywhere, from earnest online dating profiles to bursts of social media confessionalism meant to elicit a long line of supportive affirmations and emojis.”
It is crazy to me that much of technology is driven towards enabling intimacy, but somehow it alienates us more from each other. This thought is accentuated in Khalid’s song “Location” in which he sings toward a potential lover that face-to-face interaction will be the factor for this thing to work because technology isn’t cutting it.
Send me your location, let’s focus on communicating, ’cause
I just need the time and place to come through…I don’t want to fall in love off of subtweets so…
Let’s get personal.
What am I getting at? Well, I don’t know if I am getting at anything in particular because I’m not trying to convince you of anything. However, I find it interesting how these two overlap. In the article, we have this deep desire for intimacy and the key factor for actually achieving any intimacy, whether in platonic or romantic relationships, comes from a hunch. And, from Khalid’s song, we gather a sense that true connection comes at a cost of time that many people aren’t willing to give.
I wonder if even the smallest connections are becoming harder for us to make? I could be absolutely wrong, but maybe it is a good reminder that any attempt for intimacy comes from a hunch that the other person is trustworthy and can listen well. Also, the hunch has to be something that we are willing to take time on.
Again, I could be completely off base. I’m not trying to prove or state anything profound. But, I do know this. Listen to Khalid’s music. It is pretty awesome.
A Character 