Spotlight: WXPN 24-Hour Song Challenge Finalist: Khalil Amaru – WXPN

What is your hometown? Where are you currently based?

I was born and raised in Ypsilanti, Michigan, a small community just outside of Detroit, and since moving to Philadelphia for graduate school in 2020, I now live on the northeast side of the city.

How long have you been performing? Are you mainly a solo artist, do you also play in bands?

I have been performing my entire life – literally. My first performance was in elementary school when I performed at my school’s talent show at a local college. However, it has only been a year since I began performing and releasing music as a solo artist under the stage name Khalil Amaru.

What inspired your interpretation of the keyword “summer time”?

For most of my life, summer has been the time of year that has brought me the most joy. I was born in the summer, traveled to my favorite places in the summer, met many of my closest friends in the summer, and even got married in the summer. But then there was that one summer—the summer when the sun didn’t shine quite as brightly. The summer I fell in love and then fell completely out of love in the blink of an eye. I experienced what’s called a “summer fling” that I thought would blossom into something beautiful but never did. This inspired my song “Dear June,” an R&B/soul piece that uses alliteration and personification. “June,” the month we met, symbolizes our relationship—a connection that was planted but never took root.

Can you tell us a bit about your process? Do you write lyrics first, then hooks, etc.?

Producing this song was the hardest part for me as I’m not a producer, especially not with digital audio workstations. However, as a pianist, I started with what I do best. I laid the foundation on the piano, then created the drum tracks with a MIDI machine and added various fills with my keyboard and even incorporated my voice as an instrument in the post-chorus. After the instrumental layers were complete, I set about writing the lyrics, which is always the easiest part for me as I’m a storyteller at heart. I crafted the song to convey the full spectrum of emotions I’ve experienced – pain, joy, anger and frustration – over a catchy melody and soulful drum/piano combination. Completing this project without a band was incredibly difficult, but I’m proud of what I accomplished. Even after having a photo shoot and a video shoot on the same day. I didn’t finish until 3am and thought about not submitting it about three times.

Are you playing live somewhere this summer where our audience can see you?

YES! I am actually releasing my debut EP Love pains in August and will be doing a live concert on August 17th to showcase the entire project. Tickets are selling fast so I really want people to get their tickets and come with me as we celebrate this huge milestone. Here’s the site.