Out, Loud & Free with Khalid

Khalid has never opened up like this. The Grammy-nominated artist joins Keke to talk about the aftermath of being outed, the journey toward self-acceptance, and how his new album After the Sun Goes Down marks a fearless fresh start after taking himself out of the spotlight for years. From psychedelics to spirituality, love to liberation, this is Khalid at his most honest, and most free. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:05Keke Palmer?

  Khalid has been blessing us with vibes since he dropped "Location" on SoundCloud as a teenager. And now, 10 years later, he is still one of the most soulful, talented, just flat-out incredible artists that we have today. Grammy nominated, platinum certified, billions of streams, baby. Khalid is a superstar. But here's what makes this conversation special. After five years out of the spotlight, he came back not just with music, but the whole truth. His comeback album, "Sincere", marked a fresh chapter. And now, with "After the Sun Goes Down", we're stepping into a bold new chapter. So let's get into it, because, baby, this is Keke Palmer.

• 1:13Keke Palmer?

  Before the holiday rush kicks in, I'm partnering with Airbnb to help you plan that perfect autumn escape. From dreamy mountain retreats to spacious homes perfect for gathering with friends and family. Airbnb has amazing spaces for every kind of getaway. Now, let's get into it.

• 1:32Keke Palmer?

  Okay, I'm here with one of my favorite artists. You know motion has always had me in a chokehold. It's like very, like, touching my soul, Khalid, babe.

• 1:39Speaker 01

  What is up?

• 1:40Keke Palmer?

  I'm so happy that you're here on "Baby, it's Keke Palmer".

• 1:42Speaker 01

  Hey, thank you for having me, Kiki. I'm so happy to be here.

• 1:46Keke Palmer?

  Me too. Now, you did our pre-show pull-up.

• 1:48Speaker 01

  I did.

• 1:49Keke Palmer?

  So I have to get into the questions to get into what your vibe is today.

• 1:51Speaker 01

  Let's do it.

• 1:52Keke Palmer?

  Okay, so today, I'm giving "Relaxed",

• 1:55Speaker 01

  Relax.

• 1:55Keke Palmer?

  with the side of "New Beginnings", that's fresh. I've been feeling very new beginnings, too. I'm in my 30s, you know, she had babies. So, you know, it's definitely giving new beginnings, new eras. Okay, today's mood in one word?

• 2:08Speaker 01

  Reinvigorated.

• 2:09Keke Palmer?

  Reinvigorated.

• 2:10Speaker 01

  Don't mind my spelling.

• 2:11Keke Palmer?

  Because, guys, look at this spelling.

• 2:12Speaker 01

  Don't.

• 2:13Keke Palmer?

  Not even spelling, look at this chicken scratch.

• 2:15Speaker 01

  The penmanship was terrible today.

• 2:17Keke Palmer?

  Mine is bad, too. We be on them phones too much.

• 2:19Speaker 01

  Don't mind me.

• 2:20Keke Palmer?

  Okay.

• 2:20Speaker 01

  Let me know if you need me to help you out now.

• 2:23Keke Palmer?

  What did you listen to on the ride here?

• 2:27Speaker 01

  Full Moon by Brandy. And you know what? I actually listened to 125 Degrees.

• 2:32Keke Palmer?

  OMG, come on the Jeff Kiki album.

• 2:35Speaker 01

  I got my tushay and my panties on. Yes. I'm just second round.

• 2:38Keke Palmer?

  Let's get the skin, yes. Come on, shout out Taylor Parks as well.

• 2:43Speaker 01

  Ate that.

• 2:43Keke Palmer?

  Period. Thank you so much for getting into the music. You know, I'm obviously getting into your new music. We're gonna talk about it after the sun goes down. Okay, last screenshot on your phone. No deleting, show me.

• 2:55Speaker 01

  Okay, wait, I don't have my phone right with me.

• 2:59Keke Palmer?

  Then tell me what it is and don't lie.

• 3:01Speaker 01

  I won't lie because I screenshotted it. I checked the time, 8:30 this morning, actually. It was a fan's comment on my video for In Plain Sight. And they said 10 of my family members don't speak any English, but they've played this song on repeat and they just love it. And I just think that's so amazing that music could just touch just all sides of the earth.

• 3:23Keke Palmer?

  And I feel like your music has always done that. Not even just culturally, but also genre wise. Like people that maybe never listened to R&B or people that never listened to pop will get those sensibilities in your music. You've always been like a universal artist in that way.

• 3:36Speaker 01

  It's nice to be reminded, though.

• 3:38Keke Palmer?

  No, for real.

• 3:38Speaker 01

  Okay, I'm touching the family that don't speak no English and they vibe with me. Okay, I love it.

• 3:44Keke Palmer?

  Now, my favorite part, obviously, you're a zodiac. Now, I know you're an Aquarius sun. You're a Leo moon.

• 3:50Speaker 01

  I'm a Leo moon.

• 3:51Keke Palmer?

  And then your rising is also Aquarius.

• 3:53Speaker 01

  I just learned not too long ago, actually, that I'm in Aquarius. What'd you say, rising too? Rising too.

• 4:00Keke Palmer?

  So you're a double Aquarius with Leo. That's a fierce, that is a fierce combination. Because Aquaruses are very, very smart, too smart for their own good, very highly eccentric, creative, you know? But then that Leo is like, don't play with me.

• 4:15Speaker 01

  And my mom's a Leo too. And so she's just so tough and about hers. And she's just a strong woman.

• 4:24Keke Palmer?

  And I know you guys are close.

• 4:25Speaker 01

  I love my mom, honestly.

• 4:27Keke Palmer?

  When someone's sun matches someone's like rising or moon or what? Like they're in conjunction, what do they say? They say it's like extremely like compatible.

• 4:33Speaker 01

  I feel her inside.

• 4:35Keke Palmer?

  Come on, you were inside her.

• 4:36Speaker 01

  Literally. Okay, now.

• 4:39Keke Palmer?

  I'm on my momma's [BLEEP]. Okay, what is your love language, words of affirmation and acts of service?

• 4:47Speaker 01

  I just love-

• 4:48Keke Palmer?

  Come on, that deep sigh gave me life.

• 4:51Speaker 01

  I just love to be told pretty words.

• 4:54Keke Palmer?

  Me too, babe.

• 4:55Speaker 01

  Just like make me feel good.

• 4:56Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 4:57Speaker 01

  Height me up.

• 4:57Keke Palmer?

  And what does acts of service look like for you?

• 4:59Speaker 01

  I love to give acts of service. I, I'm a giver.

• 5:04Keke Palmer?

  So is it like I'm making you dinner? Is it like I'm making the bed? Is it like I'm getting you coffee in the morning?

• 5:09Speaker 01

  It's like-

• 5:10Keke Palmer?

  Running errands for you?

• 5:11Speaker 01

  I'm running errands. I'm, I'll fly across the moon for my love.

• 5:17Keke Palmer?

  For my love!

• 5:18Speaker 01

  Make sure that they don't have to worry about anything, no stress, like-

• 5:23Keke Palmer?

  Ooh.

• 5:23Speaker 01

  Pop your tire, I'll buy you a whole new set of tires.

• 5:26Keke Palmer?

  It's giving zaddy, I know that's right. Okay!

• 5:29Speaker 01

  Yeah, it's just me.

• 5:31Keke Palmer?

  It's just me, period. Okay, the most unexpected thing on your rider? My rider is boring as hell, I guess that is unexpected.

• 5:39Speaker 01

  It's so unexpected because I have nothing on my rider. Like, I have like tea.

• 5:44Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, tea.

• 5:45Speaker 01

  And like fruit and just like random [BLEEP].

• 5:48Keke Palmer?

  Singer [BLEEP].

• 5:49Speaker 01

  Singer [BLEEP]. Cause I feel like I kind of, I just like to go in and focus so much on what I'm doing. I don't have time to like eat.

• 6:00Keke Palmer?

  I'm howling, I don't have time to be human.

• 6:03Speaker 01

  I'm just like, let me just focus on the job today.

• 6:06Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, no, and but I feel like afterwards you really relaxed. Cause I remember when I went to your show, were we in Vegas? Where was that? Where, what, what show did it-

• 6:13Speaker 01

  We were in California.

• 6:14Keke Palmer?

  We were in California, I forget.

• 6:15Speaker 01

  Yamava.

• 6:15Keke Palmer?

  Boom, when I, at the, at the casino. When I went to your show, like I watched your show, living for the show, obviously, everything.

• 6:22Speaker 01

  Thank you.

• 6:22Keke Palmer?

  And then afterwards, I feel like you were like, okay, now that the show's over, let's get into it. Type vibe. So it's like beforehand, you wanna be focused.

• 6:29Speaker 01

  As long as I have my body, I feel like, and my people. I'm really good. I don't really need all the trinkets and all the whatever. Sometimes I'll just pull up, get it popping, and I'm out.

• 6:42Keke Palmer?

  I'm out. That's that Aquarius [BLEEP]. I'm out the door. So, let's go back to the beginning because it's crazy. Like, I mean, I don't know if SoundCloud is still popping, but I know in the era in which you dropped, first dropped your music, you're one of those artists that we felt like, damn, we found, we, as an audience, we felt like we found you. You know what I'm saying? So, when you go back to that beginning, I mean, this is 10 years ago. How does it feel looking back at that, at your high school self just dropping music on SoundCloud that became the soundtrack of people's lives?

• 7:11Speaker 01

  It's so bizarre. It's so, it's so distant but so close. Like, it's so close that the memories are still fragrant.

• 7:18Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 7:19Speaker 01

  Like, I can remember checking my own personal email and like my video productions class because I didn't have a computer at home. So, I just like, we'll go online. Well, my parents were in the military. So, I started my career in El Paso, in Texas.

• 7:32Keke Palmer?

  Okay, boom.

• 7:33Speaker 01

  So, I can just remember every journey, every step, every move. For it to turn into something when at first it was just a dream. It's like, you couldn't have told me when I was 17, "Hey, look, you're gonna travel around the world, perform for amazing people and have hit records and songs of billions of streams." I would have been like, "What are you talking about? I just want to go to my therapy and get the [BLEEP] over with. Let's go home." But to see that, um, I just was really relentless about my dreams and my goals. I just was like, "I don't care. I'm gonna do whatever I have to do to get my music out there."

• 8:12Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 8:13Speaker 01

  I can remember just even like meeting people from this company called Endified, emailing me, telling me, "Hey, look, you're gonna be the biggest star by next year." And I'm just like, "How, what do I do but be myself?" You know, so when I came into the industry, I had no knowledge of, "How do you perform? How do you show up as yourself? How do you..." It's like I, I was learning about life, learning about... This bridge way to adulthood, learning about a career, learning about being a recording artist and all simultaneously at the same time.

• 8:47Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, finding who you are, growing who you are as an artist and discovering how to like also be like, this is a business, so how do I navigate this?

• 8:55Speaker 01

  Yeah, because like when I was in high school, my main priorities were really kicking the [BLEEP], hanging out with my friends, getting into trouble that I probably shouldn't have been. So you couldn't have told me about what it is to really have a career and appreciate a career. All of the songs from American Teen, that was an autobiography, thank you, but that was real life.

• 9:21Keke Palmer?

  The title, everything.

• 9:22Speaker 01

  It was real life. And so you can't prepare in a way what's real, it's just like, it just comes out that way. So when the album came out, I'm being myself, I'm putting American Teen to the forefront and they're just like, now you have to tour the world, now you have to go here, go there, do this, go that. It was really a blur. So it feels so distant, but it's still just, every memory is just...

• 9:48Keke Palmer?

  I mean, as a teenager, what was driving you creatively is one thing, and obviously what you knew about yourself was very limited at the time. We're all, you know, for all of us, we're learning ourselves. Now you're in your twenties, what drives your creativity now? Like what, where are you pulling from musically now?

• 10:04Speaker 01

  What drives me creatively is doing things that I haven't done yet.

• 10:10Speaker 01

  And I've done nearly everything. I've done EDM songs, I've worked with country artists and pop stars and you name it. But I've been so modest in my career, I've been so reserved, I've been so kind of a step back. It's like there's a door and there's a wall, and it's always been to protect myself. And now I'm like, you know what? Life is short. I've been in this career for almost 10 years, what am I gonna do to be in this career for another 10? I gotta be honest, I gotta be raw.

• 10:45Keke Palmer?

  I gotta keep growing.

• 10:46Speaker 01

  I gotta keep growing, I gotta pull that filter back a little bit. You know, you wanna protect yourself from the world sometimes, but it is also nice to be embraced by the world and for people to be like... I see you.

• 11:00Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, and in general, it is really hard, like, being in the public eye. You also don't know, like, what is work, like, what do I owe you? As a, as a public figure, and what do I not owe you? And that balance and that song and dance of trying to figure out, like, I'm, I'm being real, but also, like, that's too much, you know, you're always trying to figure out how to grapple with that, and so, it's funny, because when I first met you, I was like, I assumed you'd be very shy and quiet, because sometimes that's what I'm getting from, like, your, as an artist, you get mystery, you know, on your page. But then I met you, I'm like, oh, he be hella talking, he's a vibe, you know, you have such high energy, so I was also surprised becoming a friend of yours.

• 11:38Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 11:39Keke Palmer?

  So it's, it really is dope to see that energy start to even come through greater, with your stage presence, your dancing, I love all that.

• 11:46Speaker 01

  I feel like my fans deserve it. I feel like I shouldn't punish my fans because of the pressure of being perceived from the world. I shouldn't.

• 11:55Keke Palmer?

  Come on, speak on it.

• 11:57Speaker 01

  You know what I mean? I shouldn't take away from my fans' genuine experience of knowing who I am, because every fan can't afford a plane ticket, every fan can't afford a concert ticket, every fan can't afford to get close and personal to, to you to be like, how can I feel you, who are you?

• 12:16Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 12:16Speaker 01

  And so, there's so many different types of fans that I feel like I, I've left, in a way, untouched because of my distance, that I'm like, let me open up and let you back in, and you guys can see just who I, who I am, I'mma keep my boundaries, though.

• 12:34Keke Palmer?

  Period, because you have to have them.

• 12:36Speaker 01

  We're not, we're not getting crazy over here.

• 12:38Keke Palmer?

  Damn.

• 12:39Speaker 01

  But I'm gonna be open, and I'm gonna let people know, okay, this is who I am, and to the world, it might feel like a reintroduction, but I feel like I'm just allowing people that space, like.

• 12:50Keke Palmer?

  Yep.

• 12:51Speaker 01

  This is me.

• 12:51Keke Palmer?

  Your audience is growing with you, we're growing with you.

• 12:54Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 12:54Keke Palmer?

  Um, now, you were voted, this is crazy, that you were voted most likely to go platinum in high school, and you actually lived up to that prophecy. So I mean, what is that, like, please, Clarky, like, that's crazy. First of all, why did your school even have that as an option? Like, who?

• 13:08Speaker 01

  And I really would, like, there's a picture in everything, like, it's somewhere in the little photo, photo studio in El Paso, just on the walls, or somewhere.

• 13:17Keke Palmer?

  That's crazy, babe.

• 13:18Speaker 01

  That's just God.

• 13:20Keke Palmer?

  Okay, God being funny.

• 13:22Speaker 01

  You know what I mean?

• 13:23Keke Palmer?

  God love a joke.

• 13:24Speaker 01

  It is just so funny to see that and to think. Platinum, that's way out of my reach. And then to like, go diamond.

• 13:33Keke Palmer?

  I'm like, you've done even further than that, billions of streams.

• 13:37Speaker 01

  It's insane, and it's funny, and it's just a little thing, like you said, that I look back at that, like, God's so funny, just.

• 13:45Keke Palmer?

  Now, you stepped away from the spotlight in 2019. And then when you came back, it wasn't just with music, it was with your whole truth. So what did that time really teach you, the time away, you know, for you to come back?

• 13:57Speaker 01

  It taught me life. It taught me how to live. It taught me how to enjoy myself and not to take myself as seriously. I feel like when I take myself so seriously, I'm so worried about what everybody's thinking, what everybody's analyzing.

• 14:11Keke Palmer?

  I do feel like that's an Aquarius thing.

• 14:13Speaker 01

  Maybe, maybe. And so, when I took that time off, it was really for myself.

• 14:21Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 14:22Speaker 01

  I didn't write music for a year and a half. I didn't touch a pen, I didn't touch a studio.

• 14:27Keke Palmer?

  That must have felt like punishment on some level.

• 14:30Speaker 01

  It felt...

• 14:32Keke Palmer?

  As that being your...

• 14:33Speaker 01

  It felt like I had to wait that long to know what to actually say. Because, I'm sorry, but nobody really cares about me being on the back of a tour bus and me going from state line to state line. Like, the stories just aren't...

• 14:50Keke Palmer?

  Storylines weren't there.

• 14:51Speaker 01

  It's not exciting, it doesn't move you, and I...

• 14:55Keke Palmer?

  That's real.

• 14:57Speaker 01

  I don't want to hear about it, so I know my fans don't want to hear about it. And so, I had to live experiences. I had to date a couple people, make a couple mistakes.

• 15:07Keke Palmer?

  Get your heart broke.

• 15:08Speaker 01

  Get my heart, yeah.

• 15:09Keke Palmer?

  I hate when we have to live and do the whole human thing.

• 15:11Speaker 01

  Because we're creatives, and you know...

• 15:12Keke Palmer?

  Just for something to pull from. I can't tell you how many hellholes I put myself in, just for the storyline.

• 15:17Speaker 01

  You can't pull from things that are...

• 15:19Keke Palmer?

  We do that all the time, though.

• 15:21Speaker 01

  For the plot.

• 15:22Keke Palmer?

  For the plot, babe. We do so much bull**** for the plot.

• 15:25Speaker 01

  For the plot.

• 15:26Keke Palmer?

  And be like...

• 15:27Speaker 01

  I'm blaming it on the plot every time.

• 15:29Keke Palmer?

  Yes!

• 15:30Speaker 01

  It was for the plot, don't worry about that one.

• 15:33Keke Palmer?

  Was there ever a moment where you were like, "Am I even gonna really return to music?" Because also you have had such success. Like, you could be like on some Lauryn Hill and be like, "Holla at your boy." You know, so was there a moment where you were like, "Um, I'm good, love. Enjoy."

• 15:50Speaker 01

  I knew I was gonna return to music on my own terms. I'm like, "Y'all gotta wait, cuz good things take time." And I feel like we're just in this society where we would just want everything just, "Give it to me next week. You just dropped the album. I need the deluxe like right now on my desk, like right now." Um, and I mean, even when I took like five years to write my last one, "Y'all, relax." The aggression is just next level.

• 16:19Keke Palmer?

  But, you know,

• 16:20Speaker 01

  "You stupid, drop my album now." I'm like, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Where you think this album gonna come from?"

• 16:27Keke Palmer?

  The funny thing, though, is, again, this is the great thing about your albums is that it is a like, "I can live with this for five years" album. So when we do get it, it's like, "I can sit with this for a long time till I get the next one."

• 16:38Speaker 01

  Let it marinate. You might hear background vocals that you didn't focus on the first time. Oh, no, just live with the music for a little bit. Because when I go in, I really do put my all into this. Like, when I tell you, like, "I was born to do what I'm doing now." We're all here for a reason. We were all called to do something. And so, since I know that, like, I was born to do this, I know the power that it takes. I know the integrity that it holds. I know how these stories can shape people. Because fans come to me like, "I've had cousins that have passed. You were their favorite artist." "I went through depression. You were how I got through."

• 17:23Speaker 01

  Do we think that the fans just deserve a half-assed, short, safe?

• 17:31Speaker 01

  It's not gonna move anybody.

• 17:32Keke Palmer?

  No.

• 17:33Speaker 01

  Um, and if the music doesn't move you, i- it's okay because i- it wasn't for you.

• 17:39Keke Palmer?

  Yeah. But as long as it moved you as the artist, and I think it's so deep what you're saying too about like, you know, again, whether it's for the plot or it's just for growth, it's for knowing and evolving, we have to take that time to be able to have something to say. You've shared that through travel, psychedelics, solitude, it's all reshaped your perspective, which yes, I know love, me too.

• 18:00Speaker 01

  Get into it.

• 18:01Keke Palmer?

  Okay, get into it.

• 18:09Keke Palmer?

  You know how the holidays get. Everyone's schedule gets crazy and suddenly it's impossible to coordinate quality time with friends. That's exactly why I've been searching on Airbnb for the perfect pre-holiday getaway. Because before all the festivities kick in, I need that special weekend with my closest friends. I found this incredible cabin with the guest favorite badge, which means it's one of the most loved homes on Airbnb. Picture a gorgeous open concept space with a chef's kitchen, the coziest living room, and these huge windows that frame the most stunning fall views.

• 18:45Keke Palmer?

  What I love most about booking on Airbnb is how you can really make it feel like home. Sipping morning coffee on the deck, cozied up in blankets, cooking up some delicious comfort food together in the kitchen. I mean, game nights by the fireplace. It's those little moments that make the best memories. That's the magic of finding the right space. Sometimes you need more than just a place to crash. You need somewhere that feels special, where everyone can spread out and truly unwind before the holiday chaos. Check out Airbnb for your pre-holiday escape. Trust me, they've got exactly what you're looking for to make unforgettable memories with your friends. This message is brought to you by Apple Pay. As many of y'all know, holiday shopping as a working mama is no joke.

• 19:30Keke Palmer?

  Between prepping for my next guest on the podcast and chasing after my little one, your girl needs everything to be efficient. That's why I'm obsessed with Apple Pay. The other day, I'm recording and during my break, I realized I still need to order those matching pajamas for our family Christmas photo. But instead of stressing, I just pulled out my iPhone for some last minute shopping, found the cutest PJs online and easily purchased them with Apple Pay. I just tap the Apple Pay button at checkout, a quick Face ID scan and ding, transaction complete. Trust and believe, holiday magic isn't about filling out payment forms. It's about creating special moments with family. And Apple Pay gives me more time for that. And when I'm ordering all those fun stocking stuffers for my baby boy

• 20:14Keke Palmer?

  and those perfect gifts for my parents, Apple Pay makes it quick. No more juggling a million things between takes. For real though, whether I'm ordering holiday decorations or booking a Santa photo experience, Apple Pay makes it seamless. Just look for that Apple Pay button when you're shopping online or in apps. Pay the Apple way. Terms apply.

• 20:37Keke Palmer?

  Can you take me through like one breakthrough moment where you knew the reset was working? Where you were like, okay, we're in a new era. I've opened up a new door. I've moved into a new level of the game.

• 20:49Speaker 01

  I feel like I used to have really bad self-talk.

• 20:55Keke Palmer?

  Oh.

• 20:56Speaker 01

  Um, I feel like I used to believe I was just a terrible person. I don't know, I just felt like I just wasn't cool. I just feel like, I mean, because being through life, getting into relationships, unhealthy ones at that, you know, they, they mirror.

• 21:18Speaker 01

  A dialogue.

• 21:19Keke Palmer?

  How we feel about ourselves.

• 21:20Speaker 01

  A dialogue, right? And so I was exhausted. And I didn't have anything to cling on creatively because I didn't feel the best. I didn't feel, I didn't feel like a number one artist. I didn't feel like a number two artist. I didn't feel like a number three. I just felt like, what, what am I feeling right now? I'm numb. And psychedelics, okay. Get into it.

• 21:46Keke Palmer?

  Just a little micro.

• 21:47Speaker 01

  No, just a little. A little bit more on my plate. But, okay. When I took a little Joshua Tree trip.

• 21:57Keke Palmer?

  Joshua Tree, where it all happens, isn't it?

• 21:59Speaker 01

  And I had my own shroom tune. And I did my thing. And when I went out on my walk, I was in the middle of the desert and there's nothing miles away from me and I'm surrounded and it's just me. The positive affirmations that were flooding in my brain. You are light. You are love. You are, you're great. You're a ballerina if you want to be. You could be. You could twirl. You could spin. You could dance. You could do what you want. Like, you're on this earth for a reason. It's your path. You're carving out day to day. Stop taking yourself so seriously. Give yourself grace.

• 22:42Speaker 01

  Like, you are okay and you are a good person. Just, just ease up. And when I had that conversation with myself, it changed my life forever. It was like the creativity was flowing out of me. I remember walking down a mountain and I sing a song from the top of the mountain to the bottom of the mountain. It was 30 minutes, just on loop, just, just, just doing what, you know, God called us here to do. And it felt really good. And it opened the doors. And it created Sincere. And Sincere was just a life-changing, introspective album for me because I got to hear my thoughts.

• 23:22Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 23:24Speaker 01

  I got to hear my diary on repeat. And I'm like, you know what? Some of these songs, I don't even feel that way anymore.

• 23:33Keke Palmer?

  Wow.

• 23:34Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm. I was like, you know what? I'm actually not as sad as I was when I wrote this song.

• 23:39Keke Palmer?

  But isn't that so beautiful, the time and space and what an album can represent and be? And also, I do want to say to the kids that are watching, you know, we're talking about psychedelics, all this type of thing, you know, I just want to say, if that's something that somebody wants to do, you need to be safe, you need to think twice about it. I don't want to encourage, discourage, or judge.

• 23:56Speaker 01

  Disclaimer.

• 23:57Keke Palmer?

  Disclaimer, just to say, you know, because people talk a lot about it and, you know, psychologists talk about it, a lot of people do a lot of things. So, you know, you know, you need to know what you're doing before you do it. Don't just do something because you heard about me and him talking about it on the show.

• 24:08Speaker 01

  I'm not advocating.

• 24:09Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, but that's your journey and we talk about that because a lot of people have found help with that.

• 24:14Speaker 01

  It's real.

• 24:14Keke Palmer?

  Um, you know, and I've had positive experiences myself, but I just want to say that just because we know the little ones might be watching. But yes, back to this time with Sincere, Listening Back. I think that's the beautiful thing about albums is that you can look back as, you know, you as the artist and be like, damn, so that's where I was at.

• 24:32Speaker 01

  Oof.

• 24:38Keke Palmer?

  I was listening to my Lorne EP, I was listening to the Lorne EP the other day and I said, what the hell are you talking about, Kiki?

• 24:44Speaker 01

  Oof.

• 24:45Keke Palmer?

  It was crazy, like, it might, when I listen to my older, I'm like, Kiki.

• 24:50Speaker 01

  But sometimes.

• 24:51Keke Palmer?

  Trying to get down in the back, what are you saying, mama? I didn't have to tell them that.

• 24:56Speaker 01

  That's a little risque.

• 24:57Keke Palmer?

  I was really going, don't, like, if y'all go back to the Lorne EP, got me [__] up is [__] up.

• 25:02Speaker 01

  I love it, though.

• 25:03Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, but it's so cool to just see how you evolved.

• 25:08Speaker 01

  It's, it's so, it's so true, uh, because there's also, I have a song on my album called, Everything We See, and I wrote that after my psychedelic just endeavor. And I hear a lyric like, who says there isn't beauty in everything we see? And to me, that's the pivotal lyric, that's the, you know what? I have a career that I'm graced with, I have a platform, I have an audience, I have a family I love, I have a roof over my head. Oh my God, the beauty is just pouring out of my pores right now. Like, I gotta put this out into the universe and we don't get to pick when.

• 25:49Speaker 01

  Our blessings come like patience is a virtue. And for me, I'm like, I will always throw paint at the wall. I will always throw paint at the wall.

• 26:01Speaker 01

  There's an endless supply. We are the source. If it doesn't stick this time, it's okay. And it doesn't hurt me because I've never doubted myself.

• 26:12Keke Palmer?

  Where do you think that confidence comes from? Because even when you're talking about how things can be outside of the music space. When I do am hearing you talk about music and your artistry. You seem so certain there. I mean, that must be an incredible feeling like you know for sure like. I don't care whatever else I could be going through in the outside is but my music. I know me. What, what is that? How did you cultivate that?

• 26:35Speaker 01

  Um, it comes from my blood. It, my mom, oh my God, like you talk about singing. What?

• 26:44Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 26:46Speaker 01

  She be singing and I grew up with that and I was raised with that and I saw her beauty and I saw her perform. And I know it's, it's above me and it's in me.

• 26:58Speaker 01

  My next album, I actually have her singing on my last track. No one's ever heard both of us together on a song.

• 27:06Keke Palmer?

  Wow.

• 27:06Speaker 01

  I think.

• 27:07Keke Palmer?

  And this is after the sun goes down.

• 27:08Speaker 01

  After the sun goes down. That's what gives me confidence is knowing that I was raised with a mom that has such a beautiful voice. Such a beautiful pen and that it's real. And so I just trust in the source. And like I said, we're artists. Like, I don't think any project is a mistake. It came from inside of us. It was created, we cultivated it, we stayed in the studio, endless amount of hours. What's, what's a mistake about that? It's.

• 27:42Keke Palmer?

  It's intentional.

• 27:42Speaker 01

  It's intentional. Therefore, it's a lesson. And I love music. Like, I'm sorry. Whether you listen to me or whether you don't, it's just like, I will be singing for.

• 27:55Keke Palmer?

  Eternity, baby.

• 27:57Speaker 01

  Eternity.

• 27:58Keke Palmer?

  I'm in my grave like.

• 28:00Speaker 01

  Oh, yeah.

• 28:03Keke Palmer?

  Now in 2024, your private life was forced into the spotlight. I mean, something that really, um, to me is a crime.

• 28:10Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 28:11Keke Palmer?

  Something no one should ever have to experience and go through. Um, what was the hardest part about it? Because obviously it's a breakup and then it's the public thing. So like, what gave you the strength to be like, look, it's me?

• 28:27Speaker 01

  Dealing with the embarrassment of it all.

• 28:31Speaker 01

  Embarrassing, yeah.

• 28:34Keke Palmer?

  I know what you mean.

• 28:35Speaker 01

  Embarrassing. And the thing is, it's like, once it happens, you can't turn back, you can't turn around, you can't just like sweep it under the rug and be like, all right, nobody saw that, you know? Um, so you have to deal with it. It's all you can do. Life doesn't stop and I'm for sure not going to stop mine. And it's crazy when people weaponize vulnerability,

• 29:06Speaker 01

  honesty.

• 29:09Speaker 01

  But.

• 29:09Keke Palmer?

  Intimacy.

• 29:10Speaker 01

  Intimacy.

• 29:12Keke Palmer?

  It's very hurtful.

• 29:13Speaker 01

  But when I know that what I put out is meant to be genuine, I can't be mad at myself for not having the knowledge. I can't be mad at myself for not having the tools. I can't be mad at myself that I might have stayed so long. I can't be mad at myself that I might have said, hey, I might have said, oh, you're cute. And, oh, wow, do you want to, you know, go on a date to the park? Because it was honest and it was truthful. So when things are taken, and this is the most that I've talked about it, and I feel like it deserves like an honest perspective. When things are taken away from you.

• 29:54Speaker 01

  For me, one thing that I will not allow is someone to weaponize my individuality against myself. So when people might expect me to go into hiding and be like, "Oh, my God, I don't want anybody to know I'm gay, y'all." It's like, come on, like, no, I'm gay. Yeah, okay, yeah, I'm gay.

• 30:16Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, I just never said it to you.

• 30:17Speaker 01

  I never said it to you.

• 30:18Keke Palmer?

  But I've been living my truth.

• 30:21Speaker 01

  My peers, my family.

• 30:24Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 30:25Speaker 01

  My uncle is gay.

• 30:26Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 30:27Speaker 01

  Like, it's...

• 30:28Keke Palmer?

  It's not taboo for your life.

• 30:29Speaker 01

  Yeah, it's not taboo. And so for me, the easiest thing to do, like, it's way harder to break down in tears and to stop everything and be like, "I don't want to do this anymore. I'm gonna go into hiding. I don't want to be exposed, guys. Don't look at me." It's harder to do that, and I think it's easier to be like, "Yeah, I did it. Yeah, I did that, and it happened, and I am him."

• 30:50Keke Palmer?

  Yes, and gonna be him.

• 30:52Speaker 01

  And I'm gonna be him.

• 30:55Keke Palmer?

  Period. Yes. Khalid, I literally live for your literal comment. You said, "I'm out there and the world still continues to turn." Let's get this straight, LMAO. Come on, point intended.

• 31:09Keke Palmer?

  You ain't that. You ain't... I'm a writer first.

• 31:12Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 31:13Keke Palmer?

  Yes. I mean, you really, it really was very like, boom. And then, I mean, I'm curious for you. Obviously, you're always living your truth, but did you ever think up until this moment that you were gonna say, talk about it publicly? Did you ever, or was it a blessing in disguise that this happened? And how it impacted your, your public persona?

• 31:35Speaker 01

  I always, before it happened, always thought to myself, "When? When would I? How would I?" Um, I think it's a little bit more... It's just a little bit more complicated than, uh, "Hey, y'all, I'm gay." You know what I mean? Because it's like, that has to just be introduced. And I feel like I didn't want to put in the effort to showcase my sexuality as much as I wanted to put in the effort to making my music, crafting my music.

• 32:09Keke Palmer?

  Because I do think sometimes people make things, um, a headline or a mockery in the wrong ways. And it becomes like, well, I don't want to make it seem like I'm just... It's like, how, you know, it's crazy how you don't know what to say, when to say, and it ends up seeming like you're not being truthful, but it kind of feels like not the form for it.

• 32:30Speaker 01

  Yes, coloring my hair, right, blue. And my hair's purple, if you can't tell with the light. But, uh, coloring my hair blue, you know, you get a couple of comments like, "There go this gay-ass dude over here dying his hair blue." Like, my hair was blue in 2018, and nobody batted an eye. So, it really, it's the dialogue around sexuality, to me, that really does restrict.

• 32:56Keke Palmer?

  Because it reshapes the way everybody perceives what you're saying.

• 32:59Speaker 01

  And...

• 32:59Keke Palmer?

  And doing and why.

• 33:00Speaker 01

  When you're so used to being talked about, and you've seen the most horrible things about yourself already, you can't distinguish, like, is this, is this bad? Because they're intending for it to be bad. So, maybe I just shouldn't speak about it, you know? Maybe I just, I can drop nuggets here and there. And it's kind of like, if you know, you know, but I don't have to dig too deep into it. And that worked for me. It really worked for me. But, what didn't work for me was the anxiety that I had. My anxiety when I wasn't out was extremely bad because I was almost anticipating being outed.

• 33:39Keke Palmer?

  Really?

• 33:40Speaker 01

  I was anticipating. It's fear. I was living in fear.

• 33:52Keke Palmer?

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• 34:35Keke Palmer?

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• 35:20Keke Palmer?

  What was the most fearful thing that made you? Because you know, it's like, was it just not knowing how to deal with it? The unknown, not knowing when it's coming, you know, it's...

• 35:29Speaker 01

  When you don't know what the impact feels like.

• 35:34Speaker 01

  Like when you don't know what it's like to be at the top of a mountain and you're on the floor. You're gonna have some second guessing about, am I gonna climb my ass up to this mountain? It seems so large, overbearing, so sublime. It's almost like debilitating.

• 35:55Speaker 01

  But when I was outed and I was thrusted to the top of this mountain, fully exposed for everybody to see me, I was like, damn, wait, actually, it's not that bad up here.

• 36:07Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, because the worst is over.

• 36:09Speaker 01

  The worst is over.

• 36:10Keke Palmer?

  Like, the what I felt about it, the worst is over. But how would you say that experience is different than when you told your family or your friends? Did you have a similar miniature version of being on the top of the mountain?

• 36:24Speaker 01

  Um, I'm sure my mom knew I was gay. It's so, it's so cute how they just act and they just like, baby, if you like it, I love it, okay? I'm like, girl, you knew. But, you know, talking to my mom, oh, I came out to my mom around like, 2017, 2018, actually. I've been out to my, my family for a very long time. Um, and my mom looked at me and she said, does he make you happy? I said, yes. She said, do you like him? You think he's cute? I said, yes. And she said, that's all I care about. That's all I care about. You can date who you want. You can just do you, just be safe.

• 37:03Keke Palmer?

  Yep.

• 37:04Speaker 01

  Um, so it was, it was hard, though. Oh, it was so hard to, I think it's so hard to tell people things about yourself that you keep to yourself. You're like, oh, it's so hard to be open. Um, I came out to my friends, I was drunk on the tour bus.

• 37:23Speaker 01

  Yo, I'm gay. It's okay, Khalid, we know, baby, we love ya.

• 37:31Speaker 01

  But I'm like, oop, clock my team.

• 37:33Keke Palmer?

  Right, like, what y'all mean, we know?

• 37:35Speaker 01

  Come on.

• 37:35Keke Palmer?

  That do be annoying when people like, I'm getting like, I already, the glass was, you know, the door was glass.

• 37:40Speaker 01

  It could have been given Metro. It could have been given Metro.

• 37:43Keke Palmer?

  And don't nobody wanna hear that. Yeah, just be surprised.

• 37:46Speaker 01

  I'm surprised, fake it.

• 37:48Keke Palmer?

  Give me the gag I'm looking for.

• 37:50Speaker 01

  It's funny because I think that that was a lot of the rhetoric, like, oh, the, the, the closet was glass, the closet was glass, the closet was glass. I'm like, if it's glass, then it's kind of, it's contradictory. Am I really hiding as much if you could? Hold on.

• 38:05Keke Palmer?

  You know what I mean? Like, cause what are you saying?

• 38:08Speaker 01

  Really? And so, uh, you just let the dialogue be the dialogue. But I will say, I was extremely embraced by a community, a new community. I see comments like, oh, I never was really checking for his music, but he's gay, so I'm supporting, okay?

• 38:24Keke Palmer?

  Yes, pride.

• 38:25Speaker 01

  I'm like, come on over, cuz the music is really good now, it's undeniable now, so just come on. I know some people, we gotta be in the mood to be in our feelings, I get it. But this, this music is just electric. I feel like this music is a celebration of my queerness.

• 38:39Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, I mean, and even with the pronouns that you're using, you're saying he, him, handsome, things like that. How was that journey? And how was it when you singing your other songs? You know, like, is it like, I'm gonna put that in there? Do you still let them live ambiguous in, in, in, you know, relationship?

• 38:53Speaker 01

  There is one song, East Side, where maybe it's controversial, I really don't care, I'm sorry, cuz it's my truth. I don't think I can be on a stage and say, she used to meet me on the east side. It's just not giving that. Uh, so, I say he, I've said he a couple of times, sprinkled it in, he used to meet. Y'all heard that?

• 39:17Keke Palmer?

  He used to, he used to.

• 39:18Speaker 01

  Oh, no reaction? Alright, let's keep it going, I'm gonna sing it at the next one, at the next one. Um, but I'm dabbling, and I think it's something to explore, just as much as I'm exploring. I mean, it's a, it's a new lane to explore a sexuality that you're out now, everybody knows. So it's almost like, I feel like years behind, but like, I'm, I'm enjoying myself on this journey. Uh, and so, yeah, I'm starting to say, you know, handsome. I'm starting to say masculine terms, uh, because it's real. And like I said, music is authentic, and even if I wasn't singing the pronouns before, I was really.

• 40:01Keke Palmer?

  Most of my experiences.

• 40:02Speaker 01

  Yeah, I was really insecure about being open. I was really, that was real. Um, so I was really scared, I was really afraid, I was really like, how do I do this? I was really like, you know, you see a pool, I'm like, I wanna jump in, but, how do I swim to the other side? Uh, and now that I have the tools and the knowledge, it's just so much easier. I don't feel like the producers in the studio, like, y'all, he said he. I feel like I'm saying he, and they're like, you better say he.

• 40:31Keke Palmer?

  What would you say to other people? Because I think we live in a generation too right now where a lot of times they take what is queer or LGBTQ plus and make it very trendy. It's this is mainstream, a lot of the culture, the words, the slang. You have people using the words, don't even know where it came from, ballroom and etc.

• 40:46Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 40:47Keke Palmer?

  But still, there is a lot of homophobia that constantly are also seeing. So, we think we're so ahead, you know what I'm saying? And that we, things have changed, but you still have the reality of what you have to deal with when you do come out or how that impacts your life. So, I'm curious and maybe don't have the words or the answers, but like, how do we help the young generation of young people that are coming up and owning their sexuality or their gender identity? And they're seeing people do it online and it seems possible, but in their surroundings and their everyday life, it just seems like it's so far away from them. They're looking up at that mountaintop like you are.

• 41:25Speaker 01

  To look at myself as an artist and to think about what my path will be for the future, to be able to, because I feel so responsible now that I feel like everybody knows, right? I feel responsible and I feel like with authenticity is ownership. I'm like, I have to own it. And I always think about the younger gays. I always think about the version of myself when I was 10 years old, getting picked on at the park and, "Oh, you're so gay and you're so this and you're so that."

• 41:58Keke Palmer?

  Wow.

• 41:58Speaker 01

  I think about that version of myself with my future moves on how, how do I tell this story that to my fanbase is, is new for me?

• 42:10Speaker 01

  And I think it's about going for the lanes that

• 42:17Speaker 01

  being queer is to be black and queer.

• 42:21Speaker 01

  Might not be as easily accepted, but I'm like, I'm just gonna go for it. I'm gonna do it. And I think it's about being fearlessly queer. Regardless of whether counterparts or other artists, friends, or people might feel, it's not gonna stop what I'm gonna put in this art that might potentially inspire the next pop star that just so happens to be gay, black. That just so happens to be them. When I started working on the treatments for my videos, I knew that that had to be.

• 43:00Speaker 01

  The centerpiece of it all.

• 43:01Keke Palmer?

  Yep.

• 43:02Speaker 01

  My queerness, because it's a part of me that no one has explored, because I'm currently exploring it as well.

• 43:09Keke Palmer?

  Right, it's true in your era right now.

• 43:10Speaker 01

  I'm putting that male lead in that video. Me and that male lead might get a little close and a little steamy and a little personal.

• 43:17Keke Palmer?

  Yes!

• 43:18Speaker 01

  I'm holding my boundaries though, y'all, because I'm not getting crazy. It ain't like...

• 43:21Keke Palmer?

  I like that though.

• 43:23Speaker 01

  It ain't like I'm gonna hop out the closet and then now I gotta bust down and like some people. You know what I mean? I'm not saying I'm going...

• 43:28Keke Palmer?

  I'm all in. I'm all in.

• 43:31Speaker 01

  I'm coming. I won't do it tonight.

• 43:35Keke Palmer?

  Got to let it show.

• 43:36Speaker 01

  You know, I'm not saying that that's that, because that's not me. Uh, and I respect who that is, but it's about being honest. I'm being honest with my queer identity and I'm not being afraid and I'm being bold. And hopefully, younger individuals see that and realize that it's okay and that they have a shot and they have a chance. Because I've been given a platform and I know for a fact that I've been given the platform under the guise that I am ambiguous. Is he straight? Is he gay? And I know that might have helped me and I know that might have propelled me. So I think it's about now, how do I continue to move forward representing? How do I continue to show people this is who I am? I accept it, I'm about it.

• 44:22Speaker 01

  And I love R&B music, but I wanna do that on a pop sphere. I wanna do that in the pop industry.

• 44:30Keke Palmer?

  And you deserve to, because when we're hearing the pop things, it ain't nothing but R&B. But when it comes to our culture, you know what I'm saying? When it comes to our culture, it comes to us doing it, suddenly, there's confusion.

• 44:41Speaker 01

  We are allowed. We're allowed to be black in pop. We're allowed to be black, gay, and pop.

• 44:46Keke Palmer?

  Because what is pop? Popular music.

• 44:48Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 44:49Keke Palmer?

  Beyonce been pop my whole life. Now, obviously, there's R&B there, there's country, there's rock, but it's popular music.

• 44:55Speaker 01

  You can label it pop/R&B for you to understand it.

• 44:58Keke Palmer?

  Whatever you gotta do, because y'all love categorizing.

• 45:00Speaker 01

  Whatever you gotta do, exactly, but...

• 45:02Keke Palmer?

  Everything.

• 45:03Speaker 01

  I can be pop because I woke up today, looked in the mirror and said, you know what? I'm gonna be a pop star. And that's what it takes. I'm gonna do it.

• 45:11Keke Palmer?

  And been doing it, that's the gag.

• 45:13Speaker 01

  I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna do it.

• 45:16Keke Palmer?

  So let's talk about the fact that "In Plain Sight," this new single coming on this new album, after "The Sun Goes Down," is already charting globally.

• 45:23Speaker 01

  Aw, thank you.

• 45:24Keke Palmer?

  How does that feel to see that kind of reaction already? I mean, again, you've, you've done it, you, you know, you, you always are good, but this is like, you know, after five years of being away.

• 45:33Speaker 01

  I like "In Plain Sight" a lot. I think that "In Plain Sight" is a great introduction to 16 songs, and there's 16 songs in the album.

• 45:45Keke Palmer?

  I'm so ready.

• 45:46Speaker 01

  He's shaking the table.

• 45:48Keke Palmer?

  He's shaking, what, what they say? He's taking it. He's taking it.

• 45:52Speaker 01

  Uh, so "In Plain Sight" is cute, it's a little cute little vibe to show people, hey, look, this is where I'm at, this is the space. Uh, to me, it's, it's the perfect first step. Uh, it's ironic in title, but I feel like when people hear my next moves, there will be no questioning, there will be no, I don't, I, I just believe it. I mean, you gotta believe in yourself, I, I, I believe it and I feel it, and the music tells me this. I listen to it every day, it's like, surely this right here a hit, boy, okay?

• 46:26Keke Palmer?

  Okay.

• 46:26Speaker 01

  So I'm gonna do what I gotta do to make it that, and I'm gonna bust my ass off.

• 46:29Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, and that's it too, that is, it's a lot of work, touring and going and working your records. I mean, this feels very throwback to like TRL, like 106th and Park. I mean, was that intentional, living in, leaning into that 2000s and?

• 46:43Speaker 01

  It was, because like I said, I feel like this is like, some might, may deem it to be a reintroduction, but I feel like I get to make the music that I'm not afraid of making anymore. Uh, and I think that's about making the music that, in a way, I was inspired by when I was younger.

• 47:00Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 47:01Speaker 01

  I can just remember rushing home and turning on the TV and just staring like, oh my god. Beyonce's Sweet Dreams. What metallic outfit. This is crazy. This has never been done well. And feeling impacted and we hold these things inside of us and we take them with us and they grow like like flowers inside of us. And so I'm so inspired by so many aspects of what it is to be a pop artist that I'm like, OK, now I can just go for it. Like, I can just do it. You're telling me, y'all ready? All right, OK. And so that feels great. It feels great being like, I get to make the music that I listen to, that

• 47:43Keke Palmer?

  Yep.

• 47:43Speaker 01

  Like, I get to make the music that might have been my guilty pleasure three years ago, but now it it just brings me pleasure.

• 47:50Keke Palmer?

  Ah, you called yourself like a one man band on this on this album. How did you like, what did you mean by that in terms of like, was it just the vocal performance, the way you were stacking your your harmonies like?

• 48:01Speaker 01

  I love the choir. I love the choir. I love harmonies. I love structuring a song. I love doubles. I love making myself sound larger than I might be when I walk into the studio. And I believe that there are elements of this album that really do bring me back to the age of the boy band, of our N'Syncs, of our our time. Uh, and you might listen to this album and be like, is this Khalid? This does not sound like him. It's like I

• 48:39Keke Palmer?

  Oh, I love being transported, though.

• 48:40Speaker 01

  Yeah, I like to sound like multiple artists on one track. I like to be my own feature on a song. I like to go into the second verse, how I would approach a feature if I was hopping on someone else's song. Uh, I love expanding myself because I'm multi-dimensional and so I feel like I got so much artist in me sometimes, it's like four boys behind a mic. And so I'm ready for people to see it and to hear it because it's gonna connect and it's gonna take them there.

• 49:12Keke Palmer?

  If "Sincere" was your reset, what's the reintroduction, which I use reintroduction loosely, but what do you want people to feel when they listen to "After the Sun Goes Down"?

• 49:23Speaker 01

  I want them to feel alive. I want them to feel... I want them to feel like they have an album to get ready to, to then go out and hear that album again, and then go home and listen to that album on their way home. I just want them to have music that moves them. Like, get your ass out the house. Like, that's the music that I want. Music for a community.

• 49:48Keke Palmer?

  Yep.

• 49:50Speaker 01

  "The Bedroom Pop", that was nice, and I loved it. And it was for me, and it helped me learn. But I'm ready to perform for the world. I'm ready to go out there. I'm ready to be in the front of my voice, instead of behind my voice. So, I want people to feel alive. I want people to feel connected. I want people to feel inspired. And I want people to feel moved emotionally and physically.

• 50:15Keke Palmer?

  Yes. I mean, GQ referred to this album as horny, and you agreed, saying, "The freaks come out at night", so I feel like that title is perfect. It's like you was prepared for that.

• 50:25Speaker 01

  I...

• 50:26Keke Palmer?

  With "After the Sun Goes Down".

• 50:27Speaker 01

  "After the Sun Goes..." Because, okay, some things can happen after the sun goes down.

• 50:33Keke Palmer?

  Literally.

• 50:34Speaker 01

  So prepared, and I feel like when people hear, like I said, there's 16 songs. I don't feel like it'll take until they get to 16 to get it. I think they'll get it by track one.

• 50:43Keke Palmer?

  Period. I mean, songwriter Julia Michaels, she said that melodies just poured out of you in the studio, and she called it magical. She's an incredible songwriter as well. I mean, do you feel like that you're creating with more spontaneity now?

• 50:56Speaker 01

  Yes, because I... And this might scare people, okay? I did write this album in around two to three months. That might put fear in people's heart. It is so... If you... Okay, oh, he wrote an album. It took him five years to write "Sincere". It took him... I am moved by what I go through. And what I was going through was like the dam bursted, and it's just... The creativity is flowing out of me. And so, am I gonna step in front of that and be like, "No, mm-mm, stop, it's too soon"? I'm gonna chase that. I'm gonna ride the wave. I'm gonna get it out of my system. And to me, it's crazy, because like I...

• 51:40Speaker 01

  I personally, okay, personally, we all say this, right? We make a project, "Oh, that's my best work." I feel like in terms of the knowledge that I have, the vulnerability, the openness, the maturity of my vocals, this album is so reminiscent to the energy that American Teen gave me when I first made that album. And so I feel really connected to that. And if I say it, I'm like, it kinda has to be true. Like, I mean, this is some big shoes to fill, but...

• 52:05Keke Palmer?

  But it's you, so you can fill...

• 52:07Speaker 01

  And I'm ready, okay?

• 52:08Keke Palmer?

  Okay, if the [BLEEP] to fit.

• 52:10Speaker 01

  Put them on, I'm ready to wear them, let's do it.

• 52:12Keke Palmer?

  Well, I'm very excited about After the Sun Goes Down. I'm so mad that I have to leave with you soon, but I just want to mention the foundation that you started in El Paso with the Boys and Girls Club. What inspired this project? And what is it like really building a legacy in this way?

• 52:26Speaker 01

  What inspires this project is because before I knew that I was gonna be an artist, I really wanted to be, I really wanted to be an educator.

• 52:35Keke Palmer?

  Wow, like a teacher?

• 52:37Speaker 01

  I really wanted to be a teacher. I really wanted to be a music teacher. I knew that I felt called to help the youth. I do it in different ways now, but it still feels as impactful to me.

• 52:52Keke Palmer?

  For sure.

• 52:52Speaker 01

  And El Paso is a city I can never forget. El Paso adopted me as their own child and propped me up and was like, "Look, this is our boy." And so when I come to El Paso, every time I come back, I'm graced with smiles and hugs and stories. I have to give back to that city. I'm doing multiple things that I love together. And my mom is a part of it as well. And she's a superhero because she handles so much and she really busts her ass for me. And she does what she has to do to represent my heart.

• 53:32Keke Palmer?

  Mm-hmm.

• 53:33Speaker 01

  So I love it. I love giving back to the community. I love visiting the kids. I love inspiring the kids and talking to them about music because... Music is sacred. We gotta protect it. We have to protect it. No matter if the community is underserved, we have to protect the integrity of music because it's all of our crutch. It is all of our crutch. And so, I just feel really moved by that. I wasn't able to be a teacher and now I get to do it in different ways.

• 54:03Keke Palmer?

  I love that. I appreciate you. I respect everything that you're doing and just most importantly, regardless of whatever labels people put on it or that you embrace, living authentically is not easy. And that's what we need, you know? That's what we need. That's what feels good. That's what's gonna bring us to the people that we love and that we want in our lives and for us to be the best creatives. So, I really love that. And obviously, you're a friend, so I'm happy that you came on the show, boo.

• 54:31Keke Palmer?

  I live for you down.

• 54:38Keke Palmer?

  I really appreciate Khalid for coming on and being so vulnerable and just joyful with us today. From "Saw Cloud" to "Sincere", from five-year hiatus to "After the Sun Goes Down", his story and growth about healing and fearlessness has been truly inspiring. He's given us music to vibe to, but he's also giving us courage to live through. Y'all make sure y'all stream the new single, "In Plain Sight", and get ready for "After the Sun Goes Down", from Khalid. And baby, this is Keke Palmer.

• 55:20Keke Palmer?

  "Baby, This Is Keke Palmer" is hosted and executive produced by me, Keke Palmer. Lucas Siegel is our post-producer. Our producers are Lauren Hampton and Molly Nester. Hillary Esti McLaughlin is our executive producer. Production services provided by Evolution Media. Our original theme song was written and performed by me, Keke Palmer. For Team Kiki, my producer is Sharon Palmer. For Wondery, our managing producer is Olivia Fonte. Senior managing producer is Nick Ryan. And our executive producers are Emily Feldbrake, Aaron O'Flaherty, and Marshall Louie.

• 55:57Speaker 02

  Dr. Seuss's Cat in the Hat and Fish are back for a whole lot of wonderfully whimsical fun. What happens when you switch bodies with your best friend? Discover a caveman frozen in ice? Or make an alien so angry he threatens to destroy the planet? Find out in season two of the Cat in the Hat podcast. The Cat and Fish are traveling the world in the great catastrophic cacophony cruiser, meeting genies, clown professors, cave trolls, and extraordinary characters along the way. With clever wordplay, imaginative rhymes, original songs, and stories celebrating curiosity, empathy, and creative problem solving, every adventure brings something new to discover. It's a world of wonderful

• 56:41Speaker 02

  words, big imaginations, and plenty of heart for the whole family. Listen to the Cat in the Hat podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge all 20 episodes early and ad-free right now.

• 56:57Speaker 03

  Hi, I'm Kenya Barris.

• 56:59Speaker 04

  And I'm Malcolm Gladwell. We're back for season two of our Audible original podcast, The Unusual Suspects.

• 57:05Speaker 03

  We'll sit down with extraordinary guests from the worlds of art, film, literature, comedy, and wellness to hear from their unexpected stories of success.

• 57:12Speaker 04

  And who do we have this season? Well, we'll talk with Grammy-winning artist Anderson Paak, athlete Rich Roll, portrait artist Amy Sherald, Oscar-winning director Ron Howard, legendary writer David Sedaris, and many more. These conversations are more intimate than last season, wouldn't you say?

• 57:28Speaker 03

  I would. Listen to season one of The Unusual Suspects wherever you get your podcasts, and sign up for a free trial Audible to listen to season two in the Audible app or by subscribing to Apple Podcasts.