“Don’t Pretend” by Khalid & SAFE

“Don’t Pretend” is a song in which Khalid appears to be addressing either an ex-girlfriend or a current boo who he doesn’t see regularly. And he is basically telling her to stay close and holler every once in a while. He is basically approaching her like, “Keep in contact – don’t pretend you don’t still care for me.”

Again the exact stage Khalid is at in his romantic relationship with this individual is not explicitly clear.  For instance, in the first verse, he states, “I used to pretend you’re mine”, insinuating that they have never been in an actual relationship. However, in the second verse, he recounts hearing her “soft” voice in the morning and states that she ‘used to hold him down’, implying that they have been romantically involved.

But what is clear is that this is someone Khalid loves, perhaps even being obsessed with her. For example, back in the first verse he states that he’s ‘bruising his finger hitting her line’. This means that he is dialing her number so much that he is damaging his finger. Indeed in the very-next line, he states the potential for himself to actually ‘lose his mind’ in addition to stating elsewhere that he ‘hears things sometimes’, specifically her calling when she is not.

Ultimately from Khalid’s perspective, this romance is not in an ideal state.  For instance he obviously misses this individual’s company, even to the point of begging just to hear her voice. However, it is possible that she was never genuinely interested in the relationship in the first place. This may be why he states he ‘pretended’ she belonged to him, as if to insinuate he convinced himself that she loved him. Yet despite evidence pointing to this person possibly snubbing Khalid, he is still strongly under the impression that she cares for him.