American Teen
Studio album by
Khalid
ReleasedMarch 3, 2017
Studio
Various
  • Beacon Hill Recording Studio (El Paso, TX)
  • Golden Age (Los Angeles, CA)
  • Body High Studios (Los Angeles, CA)
  • Gower House (Los Angeles, CA)
  • Temple Base Studios (Los Angeles, CA)
  • Black Wax Studio (New York, NY)
  • The Premises (London, United Kingdom)
  • Sony/ATV Studios (London, United Kingdom)
Genre
Length54:37
Label
Producer
Khalid chronology
American Teen
(2017) 		Suncity
(2018)
Singles from American Teen
  1. "Location"
    Released: May 2016
  2. "Young Dumb & Broke"
    Released: June 13, 2017
  3. "Saved"
    Released: October 30, 2017

American Teen is the debut studio album by American singer Khalid.[1] It was released on March 3, 2017, by Right Hand Music Group and RCA Records.[2] The album was supported by the Billboard Hot 100 top 20 singles "Location" and "Young Dumb & Broke"; as well as the third single "Saved".

In October 2017, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for accumulating over one million in combined pure sales and album-equivalent units.[3] The album received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album while its lead single "Location" was nominated for Best R&B Song at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. In March 2022, the album was certified 4× platinum by the RIAA.

Singles

The lead single from the album, called "Location" was released on January 26, 2017.[4] The song peaked at 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.[5] The music video for "Location" was released on September 26, 2016.[6] "Young Dumb & Broke" was sent to rhythmic radio on June 13, 2017, as the second single.[7] "Saved" was released as the third single on October 30, 2017.[8]

Promotional singles

"Let's Go" was released as the first promotional single from the album on September 12, 2016.[9] It is also Khalid's first released song. "Hopeless" was released as the second promotional single on October 27, 2016.[10] "Coaster" was released as the third promotional single on December 16, 2016.[11] "Shot Down" was released as the fourth promotional single on February 6, 2017.[12] "American Teen" was released as the fifth and final promotional single on February 22, 2017.[13]

The promotional single "Reasons" was released on December 2, 2016, but was not included on American Teen.[14]

Commercial performance

American Teen debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200 with 37,000 album-equivalent units, of which 12,000 were pure album sales.[15] In August 2017, it reached a peak of number four.[16] On October 24, 2017, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales, streaming and track-sales equivalent of one million units.[3] By the end of 2017, American Teen had accumulated 1,220,000 album-equivalent units in the United States, with 147,000 being pure sales.[17]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[18]
Exclaim!8/10[19]
The New Zealand Herald[20]
NewsdayB+[21]
ViceA[22]

Reviewing for Vice, Robert Christgau said that "the first half of this R&B album justifies its title with a clarity and candor so astonishing it overshadows the music's racial identity [...] Second half is skillful but conventional—seven succinct, catchy unrequited love songs all in a row. Khalid Robinson sings in a winning conversational murmur with room for growth, and because the vocals are as unassuming as the words, the song structures he concocts with various pals and pros seems more straightforward than they are."[22] He later called the album a "teenpop milestone".[23] Ryan B. Patrick of Exclaim! wrote that the album "generally plays things straight up, not too concerned about chasing bleeding edge sounds but resting nicely in the pocket between conventional R&B and a future-pop-minded audience".[19] Glenn Gamboa of Newsday gave the album a grade of B+ and summarized that American Teen shows Khalid as a "natural" and "establishes him as one of R&B's up-and-coming stars".[21] In a three-star review for AllMusic, Andy Kellman said that on lead single "Location" "and through much of what fills out American Teen, [...] Robinson's not one to get worked up. He's in no particular rush, content to drift through life while accepting, and occasionally sort of celebrating, the present."[18]

Track listing

Credits adapted from liner notes.

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."American Teen"
Hiko Momoji4:10
2."Young Dumb & Broke"
Little3:22
3."Location"
  • Robinson
  • Joshua Scruggs
  • Samuel David Jimenez
  • Christopher McClenney
  • Olatunji Ige
  • Austin Mensales
  • Gonzalez
  • Barjam Kurti
3:39
4."Another Sad Love Song"
DJDS4:04
5."Saved"
  • Robinson
  • Scruggs
  • Ozan Yildirim
  • Bryan Medina
  • Cameron Hale
  • Calvin Tarvin
  • Syk Sense
  • OZ
  • Medina
  • Tiggi[a]
3:26
6."Coaster"
  • Robinson
  • Nathaniel Hernandez
Skrittzy3:19
7."8teen"
  • Robinson
  • Little
Little3:48
8."Let's Go"
  • Robinson
  • Yildirim
  • Elçi
  • Noah Gale
  • Daniel Picciotto
  • OZ
  • Momoji
  • Picciotto[a]
3:24
9."Hopeless"
  • Robinson
  • Elçi
Momoji2:47
10."Cold Blooded"
  • Robinson
  • Kurtis McKenzie
  • Jon Mills
  • Nick Martin
  • Carl Dimataga
3:27
11."Winter"
  • Robinson
  • Mike "Scribz" Riley
4:01
12."Therapy"
  • Robinson
  • Little
Little4:17
13."Keep Me"
  • Robinson
  • Rupert Thomas, Jr.
  • Scruggs
  • Yildirim
  • Jake Austin
4:36
14."Shot Down"
3:27
15."Angels"
  • Robinson
  • Gonzalez
  • Scruggs
  • Gonzalez
  • Syk Sense
  • Rangi
2:50
Total length:54:37
Japan edition bonus track[24]
No.TitleLength
16."Location" (featuring Lil Wayne and Kehlani)4:38
Total length:59:25

Notes

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[81] Platinum 70,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[82] Gold 20,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[83] 4× Platinum 320,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[84] 3× Platinum 60,000‡
France (SNEP)[85] Gold 50,000‡
Mexico (AMPROFON)[86] Gold 30,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[87] 2× Platinum 30,000‡
Norway (IFPI Norway)[88] Platinum 20,000*
Singapore (RIAS)[89] Platinum 10,000*
Sweden (GLF)[90] Gold 15,000‡
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[91] Gold 10,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[92] Gold 100,000‡
United States (RIAA)[93] 4× Platinum 4,000,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Khalid Set To Release Debut Album "American Teen" On March 3rd, 2017; Pre-Order Available Now; New Track "Shot Down" Out Today". RCA. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  2. ^ "American Teen on Apple Music". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  3. ^ a b "Khalid's debut Album American Teen is certified Platinum". The Fader. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  4. ^ "Location". Spotify. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  5. ^ "Chart History for Khalid (Billboard Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  6. ^ "Khalid Finds A Digital Love In "Location" Video - The FADER". The Fader. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  7. ^ "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on June 2, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2017.((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ "Saved". Spotify. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  9. ^ "Let's Go". Spotify. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  10. ^ "Hopeless". Spotify. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  11. ^ "Coaster". Spotify. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  12. ^ "Shot Down". Spotify. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  13. ^ "American Teen". Spotify. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  14. ^ "Reasons". Spotify. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  15. ^ Caulfield, Keith (March 12, 2017). "Ed Sheeran's 'Divide' Bows at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart With 2017's Biggest Debut". Billboard. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  16. ^ Caulfield, Keith (August 20, 2017). "Kesha's 'Rainbow' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  17. ^ "Ed Sheeran's 'Divide' Is Nielsen Music's Top Album of 2017 in U.S." Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  18. ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "American Teen – Khalid". AllMusic. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  19. ^ a b Patrick, Ryan B. (March 1, 2017). "Khalid: American Teen". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  20. ^ Fenwick, George (March 16, 2017). "Joel Little helps lift Khalid's skillful debut, American Teen". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  21. ^ a b Gamboa, Glenn (March 1, 2017). "'American Teen' review: Solid debut from Khalid". Newsday. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  22. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (April 15, 2017). "American Teens, American Dreams: Robert Christgau on Khalid and Kevin Abstract". Vice. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  23. ^ Christgau, Robert (April 19, 2019). "Robert Christgau on Khalid's Textured Anxiety". Vice. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  24. ^ "American Teen Khalid CD Album". CD Japan. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  25. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Khalid – American Teen". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
  26. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 40 Urban Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. September 11, 2017. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  27. ^ "Ultratop.be – Khalid – American Teen" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  28. ^ "Ultratop.be – Khalid – American Teen" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  29. ^ "Khalid Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  30. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Khalid – American Teen". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  31. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Khalid – American Teen" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  32. ^ "Khalid: American Teen" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  33. ^ "Lescharts.com – Khalid – American Teen". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  34. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Khalid". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  35. ^ "Charts.nz – Khalid – American Teen". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  36. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Khalid – American Teen". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  37. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Khalid – American Teen". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  38. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  39. ^ "Khalid Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  40. ^ "Khalid Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  41. ^ "ARIA End of Year Albums 2017". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  42. ^ "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  43. ^ "Album Top-100 2017". Hitlisten. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  44. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2017". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  45. ^ "Tónlistinn – Plötur – 2017" (in Icelandic). Plötutíóindi. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  46. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 2017". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  47. ^ "Årslista Album – År 2017" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  48. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  49. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  50. ^ "ARIA End of Year Albums 2018". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  51. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2018". Ultratop. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  52. ^ "Canadian Albums – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  53. ^ "Album Top-100 2018" (in Danish). Hitlisten. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  54. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2018" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  55. ^ "Tónlistinn – Plötur – 2018" (in Icelandic). Plötutíóindi. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  56. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 2018". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  57. ^ "Årslista Album – År 2018" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  58. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2018". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  59. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  60. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  61. ^ "ARIA End of Year Albums Chart 2019". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  62. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2019". Ultratop. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  63. ^ "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  64. ^ "Album Top-100 2019" (in Danish). Hitlisten. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  65. ^ "Tónlistinn – Plötur – 2019" (in Icelandic). Plötutíóindi. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  66. ^ "Årslista Album, 2019". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  67. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  68. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  69. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2020". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  70. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2020". Ultratop. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  71. ^ "Album Top-100 2020". Hitlisten. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  72. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 2020". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  73. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  74. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  75. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2021". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  76. ^ "Album Top-100 2021". Hitlisten. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  77. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  78. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  79. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  80. ^ "Decade-End Charts: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  81. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  82. ^ "Brazilian album certifications" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  83. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Khalid – American Teen". Music Canada. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  84. ^ "Danish album certifications – Khalid – American Teen". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  85. ^ "French album certifications – Khalid – American Teen" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  86. ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved December 10, 2019. Type Khalid in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and American Teen in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  87. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Khalid – American Teen". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  88. ^ "Norwegian album certifications – Khalid – American Teen" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  89. ^ "Singapore album certifications – Khalid – American Teen". Recording Industry Association Singapore. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  90. ^ "Veckolista Album, vecka 38, 2019 | Sverigetopplistan" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved August 17, 2022. Scroll to position 55 to view certification.
  91. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('American Teen')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  92. ^ "British album certifications – Khalid – American Teen". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  93. ^ "American album certifications – Khalid – American Teen". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
Categories