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Inside Zayn Malik’s New Life

For FADER’s latest cover story, Zayn gave his first big solo interview. Preview it in this video, and hear a snippet of a new song, “Befour.”

Zayn Malik’s first major interview since leaving One Direction will be published on The FADER tonight at 6 p.m. EST. Come back for the full story—for now, enjoy this accompanying video filmed at Zayn’s house north of London. In the background, you’ll hear the first-ever taste of Zayn’s solo album, with a snippet of a new song called “Befour.

”When Zayn announced he was going solo earlier this year, he said he wanted to live a real life. His FADER cover story is the first look, and an in-depth one, at what that life really means. He spoke candidly about life as a Muslim pop star, the public scrutiny about his relationships, and the role of family in his rapidly changing life.
Most importantly, he walked The FADER through his last morning in the band, exactly why he quit, and what he’s got in mind for his forthcoming solo debut. With producer James “Malay” Ho, of Channel Orange fame, he played a few tracks from the album—all written by Zayn—and explained how, for the first time, he’s making music that actually represents him.
“I don’t feel like people really know what I’m going to give them, musically,” Zayn said. “And once they hear it, I feel like they will understand me a little bit more, and they’ll understand why I did what I did, and why I left the band, and why I had to write this shit down. Because for five—not even for five years, for ten years, this album has been in my brain, and it’s just been there, sat with me, needing to be out.”

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