Former One Direction member Zayn Malik has touched on the racism he experienced during his years with the boy band in his forthcoming debut rap song, “Fuchsia Sea.”
Malik, 32, who is of Pakistani, English, and Irish descent, released a preview of his new song on Instagram over the weekend.
In the teaser, the “Pillowtalk” singer-songwriter 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 Asia.”
The song, which Malik said was “coming soon,” is a remix of the final track on his latest album, Room Under the Stars.
The “Dusk Till Dawn” artist spent five years with One Direction before announcing his shock departure in 2015.
The boy band, originally formed on The X Factor in 2010, consisted of Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and the late Liam Payne.
Initially, Malik said he was quitting in an attempt to be a “normal” 22-year-old. However, years later, he admitted that he exited because, “I completely selfishly wanted to be the first person to go and make my own record. I jumped the gun and when it comes to my music I’m serious and competitive and I wanted to be the first to do that.”
“I’m a passive dude, but when it comes to my music and my business, I’m serious about it and I’m competitive, so I wanted to be the first to go and do my own thing. That was the reason,” he said on a 2023 episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast.
He further disclosed that there were “obviously underlying issues within our friendships, too.” “We’d got sick of each other if I’m being completely honest,” he admitted.
Following Malik’s exit, the group continued as a quartet until January 2016, when they went on an indefinite hiatus.
Malik later reunited with Styles, Horan, and Tomlinson for the first time publicly in November 2024 at Payne’s funeral. The “Strip That Down” singer tragically died in October 2024 at 31 after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony in Argentina.
At the time, Malik honored Payne in an emotional tribute, writing: “I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life. When I was missing home as a 17 yr old kid you would always be there with a positive outlook and reassuring smile and let me know you were my friend and that I was loved.
“Even though you were younger than me you were always more sensible than me, you were headstrong, opinionated, and gave no f***s about telling people when they were wrong. Even though we butted heads because of this a few times, I always secretly respected you for it,” he added.
