Long before “Location” became a platinum hit, the first song Khalid ever released was a breakup anthem called “Saved” that he uploaded to SoundCloud as a “rough draft.”

Now, the 19-year-old has followed that same blueprint with a raw acoustic song called “Perfect” that he uploaded to the streaming service on Wednesday night (September 20). There’s nothing but an acoustic guitar and Khalid’s heavenly vocals at work, as he sings, “I’ve been on my own for a long time / I’m feeling kind of lonely / Nothing’s fun when I’m the only one out here who knows me.”

Sure, it doesn’t have the glossy production of his American Teen singles — or his high-profile collaborations with Lorde and Calvin Harris — but “Perfect” still has all the emotion we’ve come to expect from Khalid. If you had any doubts about why he won the VMA for Best New Artist, look no further.

On Twitter, Khalid called “Perfect” a “song from the soul” and wrote in a follow-up message, “The first song I released was a rough draft on SoundCloud. I'm leaving this on SoundCloud as well. Thank you guys, love you.”