Khalid and Normani promised a new collaboration, “Personal,” earlier this week, and today, they’ve delivered. The song is the duo’s second duet since previously joining forces in 2018 on “Love Lies,” which has since been certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA. The mid-tempo song incorporates a staccato, Afrobeats-inspired rhythm, which the two singers use to inform their saucy come-ons. Lyrically, they flatter the objects of their affections with assertions of their gratitude for the love they’ve found.
“Personal” is a strong bounce back for Khalid, who has had a rough couple of weeks after being outed as gay by a former partner. His ex, Hugo D Almonte, had accused him of abuse and drug use — accusations that Khalid staunchly denied. “It’s triggering because it was the other way around and that’s what hurts the most,” he wrote on Twitter (never calling it ex).
In brighter news, 2024 saw the release of Khalid’s third album, Sincere, his first actual album since 2019’s Free Spirit (although he did also release the Scenic Drive mixtape in 2021). “Personal” appears on the deluxe edition of the album, which is out as of this posting.
Listen to Khalid and Normani’s “Personal” above.
Sincere (Deluxe Edition) is out now via RCA Records.