Zayn Malik is “buzzing” people still care about him following his One Direction departure.
The 33-year-old singer left bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and the late Liam Payne in 2015 to embark on his solo career, and as he gears up for the release of his fifth solo album Konnakol, Zayn has admitted he is surprised he was given the chance to make four LPs in the first place.
When asked what has surprised him during an appearance on Billboard’s Call Her Daddy podcast, Zayn said: “Honestly, the fact that people still give a s***.
“Five solo albums now — I was just buzzing that I got to do the first one after [leaving] the band, [and] people seemed to care.
“I’m really proud of the progression and just the development and understanding of myself through my music.”
Konnakol is due to release on April 17, 2026, with 15 tracks.
Following the announcement of Konnakol, Zayn dropped its lead single Die for Me.
The Believe Me singer – who is of Pakistani descent and was raised by Muslim parents – said he hopes fans “get more insight on maybe [his] culture and heritage” with his new work, calling it his “most culturally inspired project to date”.
Zayne had also described Konnakol as “the act of creating percussive sounds with one’s voice”, teasing the LP would take inspiration from South Indian Carnatic music and blend it with pop and R’n’B.
Alongside the album, Zayn announced he would be holding a Konnakol arena tour in the UK, as well as North and South America across 31 shows.
Last month, Zayn gave fans their first glimpse at his new music during his Las Vegas residency.
According to Variety, his first unreleased song carried a “soft energy” and featured a chorus that nodded to the R’n’B influences that defined his debut solo album Mind of Mine.
Moments later, Zayn sent longtime fans into a frenzy by performing She – a deep cut from Mind of Mine that had never been played live before – marking one of the most talked-about surprises of the night.
Across the show, Zayn debuted several tracks from his forthcoming album, including Used to the Blues and Fatal, the latter of which saw the singer incorporate Urdu lyrics in a powerful nod to his South Asian heritage.
He also performed his emotionally charged new single, Die for Me.