Free Spirit
Studio album by
Khalid
ReleasedApril 5, 2019 (2019-04-05)
Genre
Length57:13
LabelRCA
Producer
Khalid chronology
Suncity
(2018)		 Free Spirit
(2019)		 Scenic Drive
(2021)
Singles from Free Spirit
  1. "Talk"
    Released: February 7, 2019
  2. "Right Back"
    Released: August 2, 2019

Free Spirit is the second studio album by American singer Khalid, released on April 5, 2019, through RCA Records. It is a follow-up to his 2017 and 2018 releases American Teen (2017) and Suncity (2018).[1] and includes the single "Talk".[2][3] Khalid also announced a short film directed by Emil Nava to accompany the album, which was released on April 3.[4] The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and received mixed reviews from music critics.

Background

Khalid announced the title on social media on February 28. He had previously shown the van pictured on the cover in various posts.[5]

Short film

A short film accompanying the album was released on Khalid's YouTube channel on the same day of the album's release.[6]

Singles

"Talk" was released on February 7, 2019, as the album's lead single.[2] "Right Back" featuring A Boogie wit da Hoodie was released on August 2 as the album's second single.

Promotional singles

On March 7, "My Bad" was released with the album pre-order as a promotional single. "Self" was released on March 29, 2019.[7] On April 3, "Don't Pretend", featuring Safe, was released with the launch of Free Spirit Radio on Beats 1.[8]

Other songs

The album also includes the singles "Better" and "Saturday Nights" from Khalid's 2018 EP Suncity.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?5.2/10[9]
Metacritic58/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[12]
The Guardian[13]
The Independent[14]
NME[15]
The Observer[16]
Pitchfork4.7/10[17]
Rolling Stone[18]
The Times[19]
Vice (Expert Witness)A−[20]

Free Spirit was met with mixed reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 58, based on 15 reviews.[10]

Reviewing for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis found the album less original than Khalid's previous work, with the singer having little new to add to the theme of anxiety explored in other "fretfully self-examining R&B", instead showing "a tendency to fall back on cliche". With regards to its musical aspect, the critic complained of a lengthy, "somnambulant pace", but observed some "great pop songs", like "Alive" and "My Bad".[13]

More positive was Robert Christgau, who wrote in his column for Vice that while Khalid's new "privileges and woes" may be foreign to most listeners, he "retains the gift of expressing his feelings in songs that cut star-time inevitabilities down to human scale", observing truisms in lyrics such as "Couldn't have known it would ever be this hard", "I didn't text you because I was workin'", and "If the love feels good it'll work out". Christgau also pointed out that "because Khalid now enjoys access to pricier musical materials than when he was in high school, the hooks pack more texture than tune, making this the rare album that comes fully into its own when you up the volume."[20]

Commercial performance

Free Spirit debuted atop the US Billboard 200 with 202,000 album-equivalent units (including 85,000 pure album sales) in its first week. It is Khalid's first US number-one album.[21]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro"
Digi3:32
2."Bad Luck"
3:51
3."My Bad"
D'Mile2:43
4."Better"
3:49
5."Talk"
Disclosure3:17
6."Right Back"
  • Stargate
  • Kosiak
  • Riley
  • Digi
  • Charlie Handsome
3:35
7."Don't Pretend" (featuring Safe)
2:45
8."Paradise"
2:54
9."Hundred"
  • Robinson
  • Ari Leff
  • Hill
  • Chammas
  • Jordan Palmer
  • Vojtesak
  • Hill
  • Digi
  • Charlie Handsome
4:37
10."Outta My Head" (with John Mayer)
  • Hill
  • Digi
  • Mayer
2:57
11."Free Spirit"
  • Robinson
  • Chammas
  • Aarons
  • Vojtesak
  • Justin Scott Lucas
  • Digi
  • Charlie Handsome
3:02
12."Twenty One"
  • Robinson
  • Chammas
  • Vojtesak
  • Charlie Handsome
  • Digi
3:04
13."Bluffin'"
  • Robinson
  • Chammas
  • Vojtesak
  • Aarons
  • Digi
  • Charlie Handsome
3:19
14."Self"
Hit-Boy3:49
15."Alive"
Hill2:51
16."Heaven"
3:33
17."Saturday Nights" (bonus track)
  • Robinson
  • Vojtesak
  • Chammas
  • Charlie Handsome
  • Digi
3:29
Total length:57:13
Japanese edition bonus track[22]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
18."Saturday Nights" (with Kane Brown)
  • Robinson
  • Vojtesak
  • Chammas
  • Charlie Handsome
  • Digi
3:29
Total length:60:42

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[64] Platinum 70,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[65] 2× Platinum 80,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[66] 2× Platinum 160,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[67] Platinum 20,000‡
Netherlands (NVPI)[68] Gold 20,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[69] 2× Platinum 30,000‡
Norway (IFPI Norway)[70] Platinum 20,000*
Singapore (RIAS)[71] Platinum 10,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[72] Gold 10,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[73] Gold 100,000‡
United States (RIAA)[74] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Zidel, Alex (February 28, 2019). "Khalid Announces New Album "Free Spirit" With Cover Art & Release Date". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on February 28, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Khalid & Disclosure Drop New Single 'Talk': Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 8, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  3. ↑ Darville, Jordan (February 28, 2019). "Khalid announces new album Free Spirit". The Fader. Archived from the original on March 1, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Here it goes! I shot a short film for the album! ❤️ In theatres worldwide on April 3rd for ONE day only and includes an album listening!!! Tickets/more info coming soon! Love u guys". February 28, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2019 – via Twitter.
  5. ↑ "Khalid Announces New Album 'Free Spirit' & Release Date". HipHop-N-More. February 28, 2019. Archived from the original on March 1, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Khalid Announces Sophomore Album 'Free Spirit,' Short Film". Rolling Stone. February 28, 2019. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  7. ↑ Rowley, Glenn (March 26, 2019). "Khalid Announces New Track 'Self' From Upcoming 'Free Spirit' Album". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Khalid Releases Silky New Track 'Don't Pretend,' Launches Free Spirit Radio on Beats 1". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  9. ↑ "Free Spirit by Khalid reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  10. 1 2 "Free Spirit by Khalid Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  11. ↑ Kellman, Andy. "Free Spirit – Khalid". AllMusic. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  12. ↑ Fitzmaurice, Larry (April 4, 2019). "Khalid fails to stand out on sluggish Free Spirit: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 5, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  13. 1 2 Petridis, Alexis (April 4, 2019). "Khalid: Free Spirit review – streaming star crashes into cliche". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  14. ↑ Brown, Helen (April 4, 2019). "Khalid, Free Spirit review: A perfectly credible record that lacks personality". The Independent. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  15. ↑ Spencer, Alex (April 3, 2019). "Khalid – 'Free Spirit' review". NME. Archived from the original on November 28, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  16. ↑ Joshi, Tara (April 7, 2019). "Khalid: Free Spirit review – an engaging follow-up". The Observer. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  17. ↑ Pierre, Alphonse (April 10, 2019). "Khalid: Free Spirit". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  18. ↑ Dolan, Jon (April 5, 2019). "Review: Khalid Looks Inward on 'Free Spirit'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  19. ↑ Hodgkinson, Will (April 5, 2019). "Khalid: Free Spirit review". The Times. Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  20. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (April 19, 2019). "Robert Christgau on Khalid's Textured Anxiety". Vice. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  21. 1 2 Caulfield, Keith (April 14, 2019). "Khalid's 'Free Spirit' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 27, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  22. ↑ "CDJapan : Free Spirit Khalid CD Album". CDJapan. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  23. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Khalid – Free Spirit". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  24. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Khalid – Free Spirit" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  25. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Khalid – Free Spirit" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  26. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Khalid – Free Spirit" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  27. ↑ "Khalid Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
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  29. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Khalid – Free Spirit" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  30. ↑ "Khalid: Free Spirit" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  31. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Khalid – Free Spirit". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  32. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Khalid – Free Spirit" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  33. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Khalid". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  34. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Khalid – Free Spirit". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  35. ↑ "Mūzikas Patēriņa Tops/ 15. nedēļa" (in Latvian). LAIPA. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  36. ↑ "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. April 12, 2019. Archived from the original on October 9, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  37. ↑ "Charts.nz – Khalid – Free Spirit". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  38. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Khalid – Free Spirit". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  39. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Khalid – Free Spirit". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  40. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  41. ↑ "Gaon Album Chart – Week 14, 2019". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2019-04-27. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  42. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Khalid – Free Spirit". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  43. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Khalid – Free Spirit". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  44. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Khalid – Free Spirit". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  45. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  46. ↑ "Khalid Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  47. ↑ "ARIA End of Year Albums Chart 2019". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on January 11, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  48. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2019". Ultratop. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  49. ↑ "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  50. ↑ "Album Top-100 2019" (in Danish). Hitlisten. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  51. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2019". dutchcharts.nl. Archived from the original on January 11, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  52. ↑ White, Jack (January 9, 2020). "Ireland's Official Top 50 biggest albums of 2019". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on January 11, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  53. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 2019". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  54. ↑ "Årslista Album, 2019". Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  55. ↑ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2019". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  56. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 4, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  57. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  58. ↑ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2020". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
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  62. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
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  64. ↑ "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Albums For the Week of 22 March 2021". Australian Recording Industry Association. March 22, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  65. ↑ "Brazilian album certifications – Khalid – Free Spirit" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  66. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Khalid – Free Spirit". Music Canada. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  67. ↑ "Danish album certifications – Khalid – Free Spirit". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  68. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Khalid – Free Spirit" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved October 10, 2019. Enter Free Spirit in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2019 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  69. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Khalid – Free Spirit". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  70. ↑ "Norwegian album certifications – Khalid – Free Spirit" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  71. ↑ "Singapore album certifications – Khalid – Free Spirit". Recording Industry Association Singapore. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  72. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Free Spirit')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  73. ↑ "British album certifications – Khalid – Free Spirit". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  74. ↑ "American album certifications – Khalid – Free Spirit". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
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