Six months after the release of his EP Suncity, singer/songwriter Khalid released his second studio album Free Spirit at midnight on April 5. To promote the release of Free Spirit, Khalid dropped three songs periodically and put two songs from Suncity on the album as well. The day before the album dropped, Khalid released “Don’t Pretend,” exciting fans for the full album’s release. A movie in theaters for one day went hand in hand with Full Spirit as the film provided fans with a background behind the meaning of his album.

“I think he released the movie to show people the inside of his life and to show people the purpose behind his music,” Magnet sophomore Ilyana Bonfoh said.

Although other songs titled “Intro” consist of talking, Khalid’s version consists of empowering lyrics. This ballad differs from the rest of his songs on the album as no chorus presents itself. The vibe and the overall production of this song make the listener feel surrounded by strong bass and electric piano while also showing off Khalid’s impressive vocal range.

The following songs, “My Bad,” “Talk,” and “Don’t Pretend,” released as singles to promote the album’s release. “My Bad” falls into Khalid’s past roots as the song’s upbeat music makes listeners want to dance as he sings about communication errors in relationships, owning up to his own lack of communication skills.

“Talk” starts off with a techno-vibe intro and begins with Khalid singing about how he falls madly in love with his significant other and wants to talk about their goals for their future. Finally, “Don’t Pretend” featuring Safe takes on a different vibe from the rest of the album. This song starts off with an acoustic guitar with subtle drums in the background, representing Khalid’s feelings in his relationship with his significant other.

“My favorite song is definitely ‘My Bad,’ because the beat is just so fun and it’s super catchy,” Bonfoh said.

“Outta My Head” with John Mayer gives off a 70s beat as Khalid sings about how he cannot focus or do anything because a girl took over his mind and cannot leave his head. Other songs, such as “Bluffin’,” mimics a similar beat to other artists, such as Frank Ocean. Songs by Frank Ocean, usually more laid back, make listeners sway to the rhythm as the loud beat and calming music plays.

Continuing with his number theme, Khalid released “Twenty One,” which talks about his life since turning 21 this year. In American Teen, Khalid released “8TEEN” which talks about his life at the age of eighteen, and he did the same with “Twenty One” in Free Spirit. In “Twenty One,” upbeat music and meaningful lyrics present the story of one of Khalid’s loved ones who turn to alcohol to help make her forget about the obstacles in her life. Khalid mentions that everything will turn out okay in the end and drinking one’s problems away fail to offer any real resolutions to issues.

The album’s second to last song, “Heaven,” starts off with a powerful tune, and the lyrics behind the song could make fans begin to cry. The song, originally written by Khalid’s pastor, talks about how the person wants to make an offer with Heaven as the outcome of losing a loved one. The song quotes, “Heaven, make me an offer. Lord, there’s nothing for me left out here,” which resembles the person wanting to leave Earth and make a deal with Heaven since nothing on Earth can make him happy again. Khalid wanted to end the album with this song but did not want to end the album to end on a sad note. He ended up pulling “Saturday Nights” from his EP Suncity and put that at the end of the album since the song presents happier and upbeat vibes.

The album overall offered quality and unique sound. None of his previous albums or EPs he released sound similar, which made fans respect him more since he stayed away from redundancy. After the release of Free Spirit, Khalid released tour dates and will experience his first ever world tour. He will appear in Atlanta, Georgia on August 14 in the State Farm Arena.

The Chant’s Grade: A