In an upcoming new song, Zayn Malik touches on his experience with racism while he was in the band that made him famous, One Direction.
On Saturday the 32-year-old British singer, who has a Pakistani and Muslim background, previewed his upcoming track Fuchsia Sea, in which he raps about being othered.
Malik was an active member of the boy band from 2010 to 2015, alongside Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and the late Liam Payne.
In a verse on the forthcoming single, Zayn raps: ‘Got my back against the wall so much they think I got a brick fascination / Do you remember every conversation? ‘Cause I have been conscious of every connotation.
‘And while they concentrate on their elevation, I’ve got a round trip to the constellation / I’m a convert to the concert, and I did that for inflation, ’cause I worked hard in a White band, and they still laughed at the Asian.’
In an upcoming new song, Zayn Malik touches on his experience with racism while he was in the band that made him famous, One Direction
Malik was an active member of the boy band from 2010 to 2015, alongside Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and the late Liam Payne; pictured in 2014
He shared a snippet of the song on Instagram, teasing that the full tune is ‘coming soon.’
The father-of-one, who shares four-year-old daughter Khai with ex-girlfriend Gigi Hadid, typed the lyrics in an Instagram Stories post.
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This is not the first time Zayn has addressed racism in his music.
A leaked song called Yellow Metal (Cathartic) details his plight as he recites, ‘Said I had a problem with hittin’ the kids that would call me paki / Still sittin’ in classroom chillin’ / I’m angry now that I’m older ’cause I see they treat us different / Got me thinking I’m the problem ’cause they never dealt with these issues.’
Elsewhere in the music, he sings, ‘Twenty years later, I’m still in the same boat / Tryna treat me like my grandpa, say I came up off the boat.’
After One Direction was formed via The X Factor UK in 2010, Malik made his exit five years later.
He announced the news via the group’s Facebook page 10 years ago.
‘I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band,’ he said in a statement.
Zayn added, ‘I’d like to apologize to the fans if I’ve let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart. I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight. I know I have four friends for life in Louis, Liam, Harry and Niall.’
On Saturday the 32-year-old British singer, who has a Pakistani background, previewed his upcoming track Fuchsia Sea, in which he raps about being othered
Zayn shared the lyrics in an Instagram Stories post
Zayn and his former bandmates unexpectedly reunited last year when they gathered to mourn the loss of Liam, who died suddenly at age 31 in October; pictured at Liam’s funeral in November
Zayn and his former bandmates unexpectedly reunited last year when they gathered to mourn the loss of Liam.
The late singer died suddenly when he fell from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires at age 31 in October.
In January his cause of death was officially ruled as ‘polytrauma’ — a term used to describe multiple traumatic injuries sustained by the body.
He had a blood alcohol concentration of ‘up to 2.7 grams per liter in his blood,’ according to the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 14.
In addition to alcohol, the toxicology report found traces of several substances in Liam’s system: cocaine metabolites, methylecgonine, benzoylecgomine, cocaethylene, and the antidepressant sertraline.