Zayn Malik’s highly-anticipated fourth album ROOM UNDER THE STAIRS has now arrived.
The record, which premiered on May 17, features 15 songs composed by the artist and produced by Dave Cobb. In a statement released prior to the album’s drop, Zayn wrote, “This is my favorite album that I’ve made to date, mainly because it comes from a place of sheer honesty and vulnerability. I wanted each song to feel as if it was just me sitting beside you telling you how I feel, singing directly to you. It’s raw and stripped back and the type of music I always hoped to make.”
“Working with Dave Cobb has been an amazing experience,” he continues. “The way he’s elevated the music is second to none, and he has done an incredible job helping me create this record. I hope we can take listeners on some whimsical, magical journey, and that they enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed making it.“I think just being where I was at that time, staying away from things, and living with my own thoughts inspired me to want to write something from that place. I’ve got to put this out as a whole body of work, it’s something for myself, not even just for the world.”
In the lead up to the album, he released a performance video of the record’s second single, “Alienated.” Upon the release of the video, he shared, “Wrote ‘Alienated’ 6 years ago, it was the start of ROOM UNDER THE STAIRS…happy for it to finally be with you. Thank you for all the love & support.”
It followed the release of the first single, “What I Am.” When he first teased ROOM UNDER THE STAIRS, the singer-songwriter shared in a spoken-word video, “I think the intention behind this album fully is for the listener to get more insight on me personally as a human being. My ambitions, my fears…and for them to have a connection with that. And that’s why it’s so raw, you know, it’s just me writing this. I didn’t want anybody else to be in between me and the music and the people listening to it.”
Listen to Zayn’s ROOM UNDER THE STAIRS record below.