Ever since he released his debut album American Teen in March of 2017, Khalid has quickly become one of the bigger and brighter stars in music. That doesn’t mean that he was instantly able to deal with the pressures of fame, though, as that’s presumably a tough adjustment for anybody to make. Khalid has been famous for a while now, and yesterday, he said that it hasn’t always been easy, taking to Twitter to talk about his social anxiety.
The 20-year-old began by tweeting yesterday, “shoutout to social anxiety haha.” Fans started asking if he was alright, and he responded, “was just thinking, it’s like, I want to make new friends but shit… it’s HARD. All this pressure in my chest, all the overthinking, etc. […] you just end up staying inside and shit bc going out gets soooo difficult.”
He said he hasn’t always been as affected by anxiety as he is now, writing, “it’s something I’ve gained I feel like. Making friends used to be so easy and shit now I’m like… let me just go home.” On a similar thread, he said that fame offers its own challenges: “going out in public is a little hard, being recorded non stop, everyone staring at you and shit.” He also said of meeting new groups of people, “too much energy lol it’s overwhelming.” When asked if he feels anxious while performing, he responded, “I used to! Only before I walk on stage. I love interacting with everyone.”
His tweets also drew a response from Missy Elliott, who wrote, “Anxiety is real… I know.” Bebe Rexha also chimed in, tweeting, “I feel you… Respond to my texts! And you’ll have a friend.”
Khalid opens up on social anxiety
Anxiety is real… I know
— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) December 24, 2018
I feel you… Respond to my texts! And you’ll have a friend 😔 https://t.co/kuY3AUibaR
— Bebe Rexha (@BebeRexha) December 24, 2018
Find the Twitter moment chronicling Khalid’s tweets about his anxiety here.
