Khalid feels that being outed as gay was a “blessing in disguise”.
The 27-year-old singer was forced to open up about his sexuality last year after an ex outed him on social media, but Khalid now feels that embracing his identity publicly has given him a new spark of creativity he can utilise in his music.
Speaking about his new album After the Sun Goes Down with People, he said: “This album wouldn't have come to be if I wasn't outed.
“I wanted to give enough of myself where I felt like I wasn’t completely hiding, but I didn’t want to give too much where I felt exposed.
“As an artist, sometimes you do find the pressure to create yourself to be accepted by all sides.”
Although Khalid has since found the silver lining in his outing, the Better hitmaker has admitted being forced to publicly confirm he was gay before he was ready was “so nasty”.
He explained: “I was caught off guard. I think what’s so nasty about it all is that my own story got stripped away from me.
“I decided I’m just going to choose to love who I am unconditionally because it’s all I got on this earth.”
Khalid noted that sense of freedom had pushed him to create After the Sun Goes Down, which he says has been inspired by the music he listened to in his youth.
He said: “I wanted to make music that I like to listen to myself.
“It’s like a huge ode to just the beautiful icons that come before me. Singing a melody of a Britney [Spears] song or watching a Rihanna video really charged my freedom of expression as a child.
“I’ve always dreamt of being this pop star. I really tapped into that little boy and gave him his shine that he always wanted.”
Khalid described After the Sun Goes Down as a “a celebration of being out and a representation of [his] queerness”.
He said: “My friends listen to the new music and are like, ‘Khalid, who is this guy? What is this side of you?’ It’s vulnerability, in a sense; I’m embracing my sexuality - relentlessly, fearlessly.”
