Khalid is back and he’s kicking his new era with his "New Normal."

On Wednesday (July 21), the R&B chart-topper, 23, dropped his new single, "New Normal," and its accompanying music video. The mid-tempo track hears Khalid gently offer listeners some optimism over production, courtesy of Active Child and John Hill. As the story goes, the song was inspired by the pandemic and the emotional toll that quarantine took on Khalid and his friends. "You found your way but it's never enough/ Though it's been tough for you/ Losing touch/ But I, summer has its еnd sometimes/ Although I can't promise you much/ You'll bе fine, you'll be fine," he croons during the hook. On the video front, viewers see the star with blue hair, dancing around a massive space and watering plants.

The singer live-debuted "New Normal" at Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic space flight launch in New Mexico on July 11. The Virgin founder and five others returned to Earth after boarding the Unity 22 Virgin Galactic rocket place that flew to space and back. The track follows the release of Khalid’s recent collaborations with Tate McRae ("Working") and J Balvin ("Otra Noche Sin Ti.")

"Everything Is Changing as an album really takes that a step further with all of the songs centering around trying to find a purpose and a sense of self in a world where everything is digitally connect but emotionally disconnected," he said in a statement. "As we all come out of quarantine and venture more into the world and try to reconnect with people we haven’t seen in over a year, I hope the messages explored within the album open up conversations and allow people to access their feelings in a new way."

Dana McKay

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