Self

Album: Free Spirit (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Over Hit-Boy's piano-laced production, this introspective song finds Khalid crooning about his inner demons as he reflects on his anxieties.

    I don't need another hand, I need a couple suggestions
    Always had a little trouble with self-reflections
    Now, does my raw emotion make me less of a man? Hmm
    Always had a little trouble with self-reflections


    Khalid states that he has always had issues when analyzing himself and he wonders whether such issues make him less of a man.
  • Khalid wrote "Self" during a "low point" in his life. Speaking about the song during an interview with Beats 1's Matt Wilkinson, the singe explained how he found the writing of it therapeutic.

    "One subject matter that I've written about is myself," he said. "How I feel about myself, and how I felt at my low… Turning that around and being like, 'You know what, it was okay for me to feel like that.' Now, this is my inspiration to feel even better than I ever have. After I wrote that song, I felt way better."
  • Khalid penned the song with Sam Romans. The English songwriter has also contributed to hit tunes for the likes of Naughty Boy ("Home"), Clean Bandit ("Tears") and Jonas Blue ("Rise").

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Francis Rossi of Status Quo

Francis Rossi of Status QuoSongwriter Interviews

Doubt led to drive for Francis, who still isn't sure why one of Status Quo's biggest hits is so beloved.

The Fratellis

The FratellisSongwriter Interviews

Jon Fratelli talks about the band's third album, and the five-year break leading up to it.

Country Song Titles

Country Song TitlesFact or Fiction

Country songs with titles so bizarre they can't possibly be real... or can they?

Daniel Lanois

Daniel LanoisSongwriter Interviews

Daniel Lanois on his album Heavy Sun, and the inside stories of songs he produced for U2, Peter Gabriel, and Bob Dylan.

Brandi Carlile

Brandi CarlileSongwriter Interviews

As a 5-year-old, Brandi was writing lyrics to instrumental versions lullabies. She still puts her heart into her songs, including the one Elton John sings on.

Mark Arm of Mudhoney

Mark Arm of MudhoneySongwriter Interviews

When he was asked to write a song for the Singles soundtrack, Mark thought the Seattle grunge scene was already overblown, so that's what he wrote about.