Zayn Malik has always walked a line between being a global pop star and being a cultural trailblazer. Now, the former One Direction member appears ready to lean further into his South Asian heritage. In an interview with The Sun, Malik revealed that the new album would be influenced by South Asian music, with some songs partly in Urdu, and would feature a mysterious new collaborator he met after reconnecting with his former One Direction band member, Louis Tomlinson.
In the words of Zayn, “It is like pop, R&B, and a lot of Indian influences. The record is like a continuation of ‘Mind of Mine’ in that sense. I might have some songs coming out in Urdu, too.” Although Malik has never shied away from his Pakistani roots, this is probably the most explicit nod yet to his cultural heritage. The forthcoming record is not merely positioned as a music release, but rather as a definitive statement of authenticity as artists like Mailk seek to set a new precedent for artists navigating dual identities in an increasingly globalised space.
This artistic shift marks a turning point for Malik, who is reclaiming his power and heritage after years of racism and stereotyping during his time in One Direction. He has described how being the only member of South Asian origin left him feeling invisible in moments of global visibility, and how those experiences planted the seeds for a deeper self-recognition. His new music signals more than a change in style; it stands as a deliberate act of cultural reclamation and self-definition.
“It’s the music I grew up with at home, and I want to give it a modern spin”, said Malik as he recalls his childhood evenings in Bradford soundtracked by Bollywood playback singers such as Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar, to the hypnotic qawwali of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan echoing from the stereo. Those formative sounds from the beats of tabla to the reverberation of the sitar, strung alongside shimmering Bollywood-style arrangements, would weave a rich fabric of arrangements alongside his trademark R&B falsetto.
If Malik follows through, this could mark a rare moment in the mainstream Pop world, bringing South Asian sounds into the mainstream, echoing the rise of Latin, Korean and Afrobeat artists on the global stage. Malik’s decision to integrate South Asian influences is not only a personal one, but also quite a strategic one, with the South Asian market and its global diaspora representing a hotbed for new global hits, with an ever-expanding audience. This was demonstrated through the success of his single ‘Tu Hai Kahan’, and also recently, Ed Sheeran released his new album ‘Play’, which was heavily influenced by Indian and Persian influences.
Malik’s forthcoming fifth studio album is far more than just a simple musical project; it is a definitive and purposeful statement in his career. By returning to the foundational ethos of his debut, he is not repeating himself but rather is re-contextualising his past through the lens of a mature artist who has found the confidence to embrace his heritage. For an artist who has already broken records and rewritten boy-band mythology, this could be his boldest act yet: reclaiming heritage as headline material and turning a personal homecoming into a global moment.
