‘The Voice’ Season 16: Who Is Khalid, John Legend’s Battle Advisor?
The Voice is getting a big change in Season 16 with John Legend being a coach. He also brings Khalid on with him as a battle advisor. The young singer is pretty new to the music scene and some fans might not know who he is, so who is he? Here is everything you need to know.
Khalid released his debut album in 2017
Khalid whose full name is Khalid Robinson is relatively new on the music scene given he released his debut album called American Teen in 2017. His debut single was “Location” and it eventually went quadruple platinum.
The song didn’t just do well through streaming. It was oddly the most-played song in Waffle House jukeboxes in 2018, according to Billboard. There were 1,900 Waffle House restaurants that were included in this.
He wrote many songs on the album in high school from personal experiences
Khalid made “Location” when he was 17-year-old while he was on spring break. It’s about navigating dating in the age of texting. Many of the other songs also were written around this time about his personal experiences.
“Saved” is about a girlfriend he left behind in New York. It was also the first song he let his mother, Linda Wolfe listen to and she realized that he has been writing all this time.
“I would hear him singing in the bathroom—very, very, very loudly,” Wolfe told Vogue “but I had no idea he was writing songs, that he had that capability, until he let me hear ‘Saved.’”
His influences include Fleetwood Mac and Father John Misty
Although the young singer will be working with John Legend on The Voice, he listed a few other musicians as people who influenced his music. According to Vogue, Fleetwood Mac and Father John Misty are inspirations for him. His mother, who is also a musician, is an inspiration to him. She also was in the U.S. Army and was in the army band.
Khalid and Normani’s song “Love Lies” was in Love, Simon
Khalid collaborated with
“It kind of happened really organically and it’s just two genuine friends making music for the sake of the art,”
John Legend actually picked him because he loves his music
The new coach was the one who approached Khalid about doing The Voice. “Khalid was the first person I asked to be my mentor,” Legend told Access Hollywood. “I wanted somebody that all the singers would look up to and be excited to meet. I wanted somebody whose music that I personally love and respected and somebody whose personality I just thought would mesh well with mine.”
Fans will have to wait and see what it will be like for Khalid to advise Team John Legend. But so far he has a pretty impressive resume.
Read more: ‘The Voice’: How Does John Legend Deal with Blake Shelton and Adam Levine’s Friendly Feud?
Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook!
