Zayn Malik is gearing up to release his fifth solo album, Konnakol — but in his upcoming interview on Call Her Daddy, he revealed that he’s still mind-blown he even got to make his prior four LPs in the first place.
In a preview of the podcast episode — which Billboard is exclusively premiering Tuesday (Feb. 10) before the episode’s Wednesday morning premiere — the One Direction alum shares what he’s proudest of going into his next solo era. In his words: “Honestly, the fact that people still give a sh–.”
“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,” he continues in conversation with host Alex Cooper. “I’m really proud of the progression and just the development and understanding of myself through my music.”
As announced Feb. 4, Konnakol will arrive April 17, complete with 15 tracks. Its lead single, “Die for Me,” dropped two days after the album news.
The new era comes a decade after Malik first burst onto the pop scene as a soloist after departing 1D in 2015. His debut effort as a one-man show, Mind of Mine, peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, after which the singer released Icarus Falls, Nobody Is Listening and Room Under the Stairs.
With Konnakol, Malik hopes fans “get more insight on maybe my culture and heritage,” he tells Cooper on Call Her Daddy in the exclusive clip.
The U.K.-born musician is of Pakistani descent and was raised Muslim by his parents. The word “Konnakol,” which Malik used for his fifth album’s title, is a “vocal percussion technique used in South Indian Carnatic music, where complex rhythmic patterns are spoken aloud using specific syllables,” according to Forbes.
Beyond the new album, Malik’s podcast appearance also comes ahead of his 31-date Konnakol arena tour through the U.K. and North and South America. To gear up for the trek, he recently closed out a seven-night residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas.
He’s also not the only former One Direction member who’s been dropping music as of late. In January, Harry Styles returned from a four-year break in releases to unleash “Aperture,” his third Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit. That same month, Louis Tomlinson unveiled How Did I Get Here?, securing a No. 1 slot on the U.K. albums chart.
Watch the exclusive preview of Malik’s interview on Call Her Daddy above.
