"Talk" is a song by American singerKhalid. It was written by Khalid and produced by Englishelectronic music duoDisclosure. It was released on February 7, 2019, as the first single from Khalid's second studio album,Free Spirit.[2][A] The song also appeared in the deluxe edition of Disclosure's third studio album,Energy. "Talk" became Khalid's fifth top 10 hit and highest-charting single as a solo artist in the US, peaking at number three on theBillboard Hot 100.[4] The song was nominated forRecord of the Year at the62nd Grammy Awards.[5]
Billboard ranked "Talk" 29th on their 100 Best Songs of 2019 list.[6]
"Talk" is a midtempo,R&B-tinged[2] song that runs for 3 minutes and 17 seconds.[7] It features production and songwriting by English electronic music duoDisclosure, who incorporatesynths that "bubble and twinkle above astaccato bass".[8] Carolyn Bernucca ofComplex magazine noted how Khalid "opts for a more mature vocal sound [...] without losing the youthful charm he's employed sinceAmerican Teen".[8]
Speaking on the conception of the song, Khalid said he initially met up with Disclosure, and they played him what he called a "crazy-ass instrumental".[2][9] Khalid described "Talk" as the first taste of his second album, with the song's theme being "the beginninghoneymoon stages of a relationship".Rap-Up said the song finds the singer "navigating the waters of a relationship".[10]
Khalid officially announced the song onTwitter on February 4, 2019, posting the cover art, which shows a purple wolf behind red flames.[11] In late January, he had posted a video of himself listening to a clip of the song in his car.[12] "Talk" was premiered asZane Lowe's World Record onApple Music'sBeats 1 radio on February 7, 2019, and released the same day.[2]
On August 28, 2020, "Talk" was also included as the 18th track in the deluxe edition of Disclosure's third studio album,Energy.
The song would go on to reach a peak of number three for four non-consecutive weeks on theBillboard Hot 100, and spent 11 weeks at the top of the Hot 100 Airplay chart, in addition to topping the Pop Songs, Rhythmic Songs, and Hip-Hop/R&B Airplay charts.
Disclosure, who produced the original song, released their ownhouse remix of "Talk" on March 29, 2019. This version of the song is titled "Talk (Disclosure VIP)".[13]
A second official remix of "Talk" with American rappersMegan Thee Stallion andYo Gotti was released on April 12, 2019.[14]Billboard magazine reacted positively to Megan's verse, calling it "steamy", and complimented her singing but was less approving of Yo Gotti's feature, saying his "appearance feels much like he just stumbled into the wrong house and didn't know what he was getting himself into".[14]
^Khalid's own Spotify account previously stated on one of its playlists "New song "Talk" with Disclosure on 2/7", but now no longer does. However, the quote is still archived by Google and can be searched.[3]
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 09. týden 2019 in the date selector. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 10. týden 2019 in the date selector. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
