Free Spirit (album)

"Free Spirit is those first few steps into the world, when you realize that the world is not as easy as you planned it to be. In high school, we all have an idea of everything we want to achieve, but we don’t really accept the fact that it’s hard. Life is hard, moving on is hard, growing up is hard. That’s why a lot of people get comfortable and they find themselves stagnant. I didn’t want to do that."

- Khalid

Free Spirit is the sophomore studio album by Khalid. It was released via RCA Records on April 5, 2019.

Background and release
It took him over a year to finish, starting at the beginning of 2018. He described being so "naive and young" with his debut album, and Free Spirit being more mature. A short accompanying film was released two days before its album, on April 3, a one-fan event in celebration.

He revealed to MTV, "Free Spirit came to me when I performed at Red Rocks in Colorado. I felt like a free spirit that whole show. Maybe I was loopy because of the elevation, I don't know, but it was so much fun. And it was crazy because the shirt that I was wearing said "free spirit" on it, and that's exactly how I felt. Before I walked onstage, I did this vocal melody and I labeled it "free spirit." That was around May 2018. I didn't put any words to it until February 2019. It's the last song that I wrote, and it's a song that has impacted me so much because it was so fitting for the path of life that I'm on. I love the idea of becoming a free spirit, but I acknowledge the fact that I'm not one now, which allows me to be excited to be one in the future. I'm all for finding out."

Cover art
In an interview, Khalid shared concerning the title and graphic elements, "Free Spirit to me is no restrictions: mentally, physically, spiritually. Free Spirit is everything that I wish I was, that I'm on the path of becoming, but I'm not yet. The flames winding from the front to the side symbolize drive. Your body, you are the fire. You are the being. For me, the wolf perfectly embodies this picture of fire and drive. It's a fierce animal, but courageous and strong and independent. So it's a matching suit for the BMW i8 Roadster, because it's the embodiment of freedom."