Khalid has announced a benefit concert following the El Paso mass shooting which left 20 people dead on Aug. 3.
The 21-year-old grew up in a military family and finished high school in El Paso. He even acknowledges the city on the title track to his 2017 album American Teen and in 2018 with his Suncity EP. Additionally, he donated backpacks full of school supplies to El Paso students through his Great Khalid Foundation earlier this summer, according to Pitchfork.
The concert will take place on Sunday, Sept. 1 at the University of Texas at El Paso’s Don Haskins Center. Proceeds from the show will support the El Paso Shooting Victim’s Fund and the El Paso Community Foundation.
Khalid said that he aims to give back to the El Paso community during this tragic time.
“I have been rocked to the core by the horrific act of gun violence that came to El Paso, and by the continued acts of senseless violence that our country faces daily,” he said in a statement. “I want to give back to my community of El Paso, the city of the 915, who has given so much to me. Please come out and let’s heal together through music while raising money to help those who need it.”
He said that the city will always hold a special place in his heart.
“I didn’t feel like I had a home until I moved to El Paso,” he said in a USA Today interview back in 2017. “The love and the friendships I made were influential. El Paso is where I started. I don’t feel like I’d be making the music I’m making now if I hadn’t gone there.”
Tickets for the concert will go on sale Wednesday, Aug. 14 at LiveNation.com.
Over the past few days, I’ve been thinking of ways to help out and support the city.
I’m planning for a benefit concert later this month, all of the proceeds will go to the families affected by the shooting. Sending everyone my love and will keep you guys updated— Khalid (@thegreatkhalid) August 5, 2019
