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Khalid on His ‘Flirty Side,’ Queer Identity & the Myth That He’s an Introvert

Khalid opens up on gay identity, 'flirty' new music, growing up and getting to be the artist he wants to be in a Billboard digital cover story.

Now fully cemented as an in-demand collaborator, global arena artist and reliably charting hit-maker, Khalid is ready to rediscover the innocent version of himself that he was before he found success. Khalid says he wants to inspire young Black men to be comfortable being open about their sexuality, but he doesn’t see the music as appealing to any specific kind of listener because of the identity of the person making it. He’s often categorized as an R&B singer, but he has a genre fluidity that has landed him on a diverse number of Billboard charts: Adult Contemporary, Latin, Rock & Alternative, Rap, Dance.

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