Have you ever been a young, dumb, broke high school kid? Have you ever been eighteen, still living with your parents? If so, you can problem relate to Khalid’s extraordinary debut album, American Teen. Released in 2017 this R&B album is one that encapsulates the joyous, carefree, happy-go-lucky freedom of an American teenager making bad decisions with friends and experiencing young love. 
The first song, which shares its title with the album, sets the tone as one that is exuberant and turbulent. This song is about the bliss in being young, partying, and graduating high school. He begins by singing, “Living the good life full of good vibes…Saying I don’t wanna come home tonight / And I’m high up, off what? / I don’t even remember / But my friend passed out in the Uber ride.” These lyrics may seem mundane, but they capture the magical feeling of being a teenager, being irresponsible with friends. It’s almost its own sort of high—not drug-induced, but coming from the intense emotions of being young and feeling wild and invincible, while simultaneously knowing that you’re not at all. Khalid continues this sentiment in the chorus: “So wake me up in the spring / While I’m high off my American dream / We don’t always say what we mean / It’s the lie of the American teen.” These lines solidify both the song and the album. Khalid is admitting that these emotions are temporary, as is youth, by telling the audience to “wake him up” from being “high off his American dream.” It’s like the scenes in the coming-of-age movies that are perfectly melodramatic, with the over-sensationalized young love—it’s ordinary, yet in the moment, feels incredibly magical. The song ends being sung by Khalid and his friends, admitting “I’ll be living this dream with you / We don’t always say what we mean / When we’re high off our American teen / My youth is the foundation of me / I’m proud to be American.” About this, Khalid said, “We’re still young, and our opinions are constantly changing. We haven’t even found ourselves as individuals yet, we’re in the process of finding ourselves,” which is why these feelings are compared to being a “high,” and why they don’t “always say what they mean”—is this young love real love? Are these friends life-long? Is the partying life the one for me?
The other songs on this album explore the nuances of the experience as an American teen. “Young Dumb & Broke” has a more nonchalant vibe, with lines such as “We have so much in common / We argue all the time / You always say I’m wrong / I’m pretty sure I’m right / What’s fun about commitment? / When we have our lives to live / We’re just young, dumb, and broke,” and in “8TEEN,” “Damn, my car still smells like marijuana / My mom is gonna kill me…Because I’m eighteen / And I still live with my parents / Yeah, they’re not like yours / Well, yours are more understanding.” 
These songs emanate immaturity and disarray, but in a way that is still lighthearted and optimistic. On the other hand, there are songs like “Hopeless,” “Cold Blooded,” and “Winter,” which explore the gloomy, even heartbreaking letdowns that occur during young love, as you’re figuring out what and who is right for you.