True to its namesake, Emotions is a refreshing blend of musical expression. Despite debuting at just 17 years old with 2022’s DIVERSITY, the rising Nigerian star Khaid proves his ability to embrace the heritage of his Lagos-born sound while leveraging the universal influences that continue to help grow African music globally. Emotions is a statement piece that encourages listeners to embrace the free-spirited range of vibes that Khaid believes define his music. From playful sing-alongs to introspective love songs, with Khaid’s effortless blend of spirituality and passion, the EP displays his versatility in channelling feelings through music. “I want every song to relate to some part of someone’s life,” Khaid tells Apple Music. Whether it’s the choral sounds or high-energy drum patterns, Emotions highlights his maturity and potential to channel the narrative of a new generation of musicians. Here, he breaks down key tracks from the EP. “Hold Me” “The beach inspired this song. We have a little garden there. We were just having fun, but in the midst of everybody, I went for a walk, and the melody kept coming over and over again in my head. I came up with this song already, but I just came home to finish up with Ransom, my producer. I wasn’t really sure about the song, though, but a female friend called me while I was recording it, and she fell in love with the song during the call and asked me to send it to her when I was done. Later, I played it to my team, and everybody was like, ‘Yo, this one!’ That’s when I knew I had something.” “No Time” “This is a spiritual song. I had a certain hymn stuck in my head, so I got to the studio and was like, ‘Can you get me some Christian? I need those Catholic-type melodies.’ I knew how I wanted it to sound, so we went through different sounds, and the song started to come to me. Even though I can’t always relate to my songs about heartbreak or love, I make these songs because I know people who can. They need songs like this.” “Jolie” “When I recorded ‘Jolie’, I knew this was something special. The song is produced by BMX, and he already has a couple hit records, but I went back and listened to a lot of older Nigerian artists and took influence from them. I had just finished praying, and it started as a freestyle, but then I kept repeating ‘Jolie’. It’s just vibes. Nigerians have had a song like this before, but it’s been a long time, and I just wanted to make something that stands out that nobody is doing right now.” “People (Evil)” “Sometimes, I go online and see people say things like, ‘You don’t got lyrics.’ So, I just tell myself, ‘I’m doing Afrobeats, but I still got the lyrics.’ So, [producer] Signal made the ‘People’ beat, and I was in the studio, and the producer wanted to skip it, but I was like, ‘Nah, we’re gonna do that beat today.’ It’s a track where I get to speak on the things I’ve been through and where I’m coming from.” “Anabella” “I was happy when I made ‘Anabella’. I just wanted to have fun, and I needed a follow-up to ‘Jolie’. It’s so funny: I make songs like ‘Anabella’ and ‘Jolie’—people come into my DMs and say I used their name on my song, and they feel like it is for them.”