ON OUR RADAR: Rising Afrobeats Trap Star KHAID [@KHAIDXR]

WHO: KHAID [@khaidxr]

GENRE: Afrobeats/Trap  

WHERE: Ojo, Lagos State Nigeria

A one to watch, fast rising Nigerian artist KHAID is gearing up to release his EP ‘Full’, kicking it off with the recent release of ‘Jolie’ and ‘Carry Me Go’.

KHAID started nurturing his music abilities aged twelve, through freestyle videos and performing on the streets of Ojo, Lagos State Nigeria, where he was discovered by Sydney Talker, founder of Neville Records.

Bethel: Your EP, ‘Full’ is very well constructed. Tell me about what this project means to you.

KHAID: The project actually means a lot to me because I feel like this is a breakthrough project for me. The inspiration behind the EP – I don’t know how I feel. I’m just trying to express the love part of my life and also other people’s life.

Bethel: And what inspired the title?

KHAID: Experience has made me put everything in one, because I’ve been through love, everything. A couple of experiences made me.

Bethel: The songs from your upcoming EP have precise vocal layerings. Do you have mentors that help you create such beautifully constructed layers or is this something you’ve grown to understand on your own?

KHAID: I think it’s something I’ve grown to understand myself.

Bethel: Would you say your understanding of how music is produced and mastered has come after you were signed?

KHAID: I guess it came after I was signed? When I was unsigned, I wasn’t really like that. I wasn’t really strong, but when I got signed I got to learn new things and it just made me better, musically.

Bethel: You experiment with both Afrobeats and American Trap, but this current EP leans more into the Afrobeats side. Do you have anything coming up for your trap fans?

KHAID: Yeah, definitely. I got the Trap EP coming up for my Trap fans!

Bethel: You got signed to Neville records a year ago and at that point you ended your career as a mechanic. What part of this new career has been an eye opener for you?

KHAID: I’m really excited that I have people that will listen to my song. I’m really excited that I have people waiting for me to show something and people are ready to listen to how I feel. Basically, how I feel I just say in my songs, so I’m really excited to have people who are just waiting to listen.

Bethel: How did your parents react to this change of career and how have they adjusted?

KHAID: My parents are pretty cool, even before I got signed. Before I got signed, they showed me support and everything, so when I got signed, they were really happy.

Bethel: ​​Do you share your music with them before it’s released? Just to see what they think?

KHAID: Yeah, most times.

Bethel: Where do you hope for your music to take you?

KHAID: ​​I pray takes me to a great place. I do want the world to hear my story, so I just keep on praying that it’s going to take me far.

Marking a fresh chapter for the year with a new EP on the way, KHAID is due to make an explosive entrance onto the music scene.

While you wait for his debut EP ‘Fall’, you can stream his latest single, ‘Carry Me Go’ here.

Discover more from GUAP’s Music section here