Khalid wrote this dreamy song toward the beginning of the COVID pandemic as a personal therapy to help him cope with his anxiety.
It's a new normal, hard for us to live in
And to understand it
The phrase "new normal" was first used in 1919 by the American inventor and writer Henry A. Wise Wood. Following the end of World War I the previous year, hundreds of thousands of conscripted soldiers returned home after a harrowing time serving their country. There had also been huge food shortages and an influenza epidemic that took more lives than the war. Wood coined the phrase to refer to the period beyond an initial transition to a changed world following the Great War. He wrote:
"To consider the problems before us we must divide our epoch into three periods, that of war, that of transition, that of the new normal, which undoubtedly will supersede the old."
The phrase "new normal" has since evolved to refer to a new way of living following a crisis such as the September 11 attacks, or COVID pandemic. During the coronavirus era, work and social life both changed radically as people were required to stay more at home, keep their distance from others, and wear masks. Here, Khalid is telling himself change is happening and he can't do anything about it; so just go with the flow and everything will turn out fine in the end.
On July 11, 2021 Sir Richard Branson and others took part in a flight aboard the Unity 22 Virgin Galactic rocket. It took the passengers and the five-person crew to the edge of space and back to earth, marking the beginning of Branson's mission to make space flight more accessible.
During the livestream, Khalid took to the stage at the New Mexico launch site to perform a three-song set, during which he premiered this track.
Space travel has always fascinated Khalid; he told
Rolling Stone how this song's inspiration ties in with the launch of the Unity 22 Virgin Galactic space plane. "I've been going through the motions of understanding this new, postmodern future that's coming together, especially when it comes down to technology," he said. "It's something that really excites me."
"'New Normal' is all about these new journeys we are taking after experiencing so much change during the pandemic," he added. "The future is now, everything is changing and this new normal we are all living in is proof that we can find our way through hard times."
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield interviewed Khalid following his performance, during which the singer said he hoped he might gain the confidence to visit space in the future. "It seems surreal," he said. "I think that's kind of how we all feel about the times right now. But it's true, it's our new normal. We're going to have to get used to it, because we're going to see a lot more to come."
Khalid wrote the song with its producers, John Hill (Shakira's "
She Wolf," Portugal. The Man's "
Feel It Still") and singer-songwriter Active Child.
Khalid recorded the song for Everything Is Changing. The album takes its title from one of this song's lyrics:
It's almost like you're screaming
But no one hears your voice
'Cause everything is changing
Khalid said he took inspiration for this song from the emotional toll that the COVID quarantine took on him and his friends. He added that all of the Everything Is Changing tracks take this one step further by "centering around trying to find a purpose and a sense of self in a world where everything is digitally connect but emotionally disconnected."
Speaking with Audacy's Julia, Khalid said he chose "New Normal," as the introductory single to Everything Is Changing because of its personal connection. "I feel like through the process of quarantine and finding a sense of normalcy throughout the chaos, that song kinda came to me in the wind, he said. "I asked myself 'what do I write about? You know, 'what story do I tell?' And I was like 'I just gotta be honest with myself about the frustration that I was going through.'"
He added: "No matter what we go through it's always just temporary, and we'll all get through it. And hopefully we'll get through together and we'll get through it stronger."
