Khalid is suffering from social anxiety.
The 20-year-old singer/songwriter opened up to his fans on Twitter about the “overwhelming” disorder and admitted it can affect him when he is meeting fans or before he goes on stage.
Social anxiety disorder is a long-lasting and overwhelming fear of being judged, negatively evaluated, or rejected in a social or performance situation.
He tweeted: “shoutout to social anxiety haha,” before going on to engage with fans about his issues.
shoutout to social anxiety haha
— Khalid (@thegreatkhalid) December 23, 2018
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. https://t.co/KwDf1iZiO1
— Khalid (@thegreatkhalid) December 23, 2018
When one fan asked if meeting fans set off his social anxiety, he replied: “Just depends on the environment! Meeting someone 1 v 1 is easier for me than meeting and talking to someone in front of hella people. going out in public is a little hard, being recorded nonstop, everyone staring at you and sh*t.”
When one fan insisted that he signed up for the celebrity life, Khalid hit back saying: “actually, my life is mine lol come on now. don’t do that.”
He also admitted that he used to get extremely nervous before performing but has managed to get it under control now. When asked if he feels anxious during his shows, he wrote: “I used to! Only before I walk on stage. I love interacting with everyone.”
Khalid also got support from his fellow celebrities, with Missy Elliot tweeting:
Anxiety is real… I know
— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) December 24, 2018
And Bebe Rexha insisted she would be there for him if he would just reply to her texts. After he tweeted: “was just thinking, it’s like, I want to make new friends but sh*t… it’s HARD. All this pressure in my chest, all the overthinking, etc,” she replied: “I feel you… Respond to my texts! And you’ll have a friend .”
