Their voices intertwine nicely, and the song has distinct radio quality about it. It takes advantage of the common trend of using bouncy beats and highlights Empress Of, who sings in Spanish alongside Khalid. The song that the EP is named for, “Suncity,” will likely become a radio hit with ease. With deep bass beats and edgy lyrics and even some purposeful autotune that is uncharacteristic of Khalid’s earlier music, the tune has the potential to be well-received as a pop-influenced R&B hit. Like the former One Direction singer, Khalid is trying to break away from being an artist known only for pop. Khalid’s “Better” has a Zayn-esque quality about it, unsurprisingly. “Vertigo” is a strong nod toward the R&B world Khalid is exploring with “Suncity.” It proves Khalid’s abilities as a multi-faceted artist. Khalid showcases his capability as an artist, glossing over gorgeous high notes and finding his strength in the words he sings. It creates a certain softness to the beginning of the tune, which builds as it nears the first chorus. In “Vertigo,” the second song on the EP, Khalid comes in with an almost ethereal sound, unusual for his powerhouse vocals. Though the song’s message is a bit somber, it’s tranquil, it’s honest and it’s relatable to many who are facing the true challenges of life on their own for the first time. In sharp contrast from the youthful “American Teen,” here, Khalid exposes life beyond high school. Khalid sings, “I guess there’s certain dreams that you gotta keep/’Cause they’ll only take what you let ‘em see.” The first part of the album isn’t an attempt to give listeners another “Location.” The song “Saturday Nights,” a guitar heavy pop ballad, gives meaning to the harsh realities of life. It sets the listener up to understand that the EP functions as an acknowledgment of the personal undertones of “Suncity.” It seems to act only as a shoutout to Khalid’s beginnings, a preface to the EP that seems more like a love letter to his roots. It’s a nod to his hometown, which he affectionately refers to as, “the city of the 915” in his first album.Īt only 56 seconds long, the track doesn’t have much musical value to it. The recording features the mayor handing over the key to El Paso, Texas, Khalid’s home city, to the singer-songwriter. The album begins with “9.13,” which features echo-like vocals underneath a brief audio recording. The album features a bit of R&B mixed with pop ballads and pop songs that have potential to be radio hits. The seven-track EP features songs that vary vastly from one another, with Khalid seemingly not willing to tie himself down and commit to a specific style of music. Khalid is now back with his new EP “Suncity,” released on Oct. As for singer Empress Of, Spanish is her native language.After the release of his 2017 smash-hit album, “American Teen,” 20-year-old Khalid grew a serious fanbase among an audience who fell in love with his unique musical creations. And despite the Spanish language not being Khalid’s mother tongue, he is able to use it fluently in the song. Khalid sings in both English and Spanish in this track.That song was a collab between DJDS and Khalid. Khalid and Empress Of first worked together on the song “Why Don’t You Come On”. Contrary to popular belief, “Suncity” isn’t the first time in Khalid’s entire career that he is collaborating with Empress Of.It is the last track on Khalid’s 2018 EP also titled Suncity. The song was released on October 19, 2018.Neither Khalid nor Empress Of (whose real name is Lorely Rodriguez) played any role in the song’s production.The latter two produced the song along with DJDS. Khalid co-penned “Suncity” with Empress Of and four others, including Charlie Handsome and DJDS.Why? Because the nickname for El Paso is “Sun City”. Update: It is also possible that the “Suncity” Khalid is referring to could be his beloved El Paso, Texas. He ends the song by sending her a ton of hugs and expressing the hope that he sees her soon. All in all, the narrator can’t wait to be with the object of his desire.