Meaning of “Salem’s Interlude” by Khalid

“Salem’s Interlude” is a song from American singer Khalid’s debut EP titled Suncity. The narrator (Khalid) starts of “Salem’s Interlude” (which is actually a dialogue) by chronicling the things he’s fearful of.

Among the fears the narrator mentions in the song include the following:  

• The fear of failure
• Fear of being in an embarrassing situation
• Being afraid of traveling

According to the narrator, the above mentioned fears appear to be preventing him from getting further in life. If only he could control his fears, he would do better than he already is doing.

He continues the dialogue by talking about the path he’s taking in life and about generally being a happy person. Towards the end of the dialogue, he expresses his gratefulness for the joy life has blessed him with.

But who is Salem?

Salem is a name. It is actually an Arabic name (just like the name Khaled/Khalid is). We initially thought Salem was one of Khalid’s names. However, it isn’t. Khalid’s full name is Khalid Donnel Robinson. So if Salem isn’t part of Khalid’s given names, then who is this Salem?

Having investigated further, we found out who the name might belong to. We strongly suspect the “Salem” in the song’s title is referring to an American inspirational model named Salem Mitchell. The major reason why we think so is because she is one of the backing vocalists on this track. Also, her name happens to be in the song’s title. The coincidences are just too much for this track not to be inspired by Mitchell. Apparently Khalid penned this track as an ode to her.

That said, it is important to take note of the fact that as of the publishing of this article, Khalid hasn’t made any comment about this song.

Facts about “Salem’s Interlude”

• Khalid and fellow songwriters DIGI and Charlie Handsome composed “Salem’s Interlude”. The latter two went on to handle the production.
• This is the fourth track from the 7-tracked EP, Suncity. It was released on 19th October, 2018.
• No music video was shot for “Salem’s Interlude”.
• This track marks Khalid’s first time of collaborating with his friend Salem Mitchell.
• In addition to Mitchell, singer Amber Perryman also sings the background vocals on “Salem’s Interlude”.
• The track’s lyrics are devoid of its title. Simply put, nowhere in the lyrics would you find the phrase: “Salem’s Interlude”.
  

Did this song come out as one of the singles from Suncity?

No. Actually that EP was supported by just one single titled”Better“.