Is Zayn Malik’s New Song the Smash He Desperately Needs?
The Zayn-aissance is officially here.
On Friday, Zayn Malik, professionally known as ZAYN, dropped his first single in two years, “Love Like This,” a sleek, two-step club track that could very well be a late contender for Song of the Summer. The former One Direction member has spent years exploring different mixtures and derivations of R&B, pop, reggae, and electronic music. Now, he seems to have settled on a breezy, UK garage sound for his next venture—something for the girls to get ready and party to, as Saweetie would say.
Given how sonically diverse and typically unfocused Malik’s projects are, who knows what listeners will actually have in store for them with his upcoming fourth album, which marks his first release since signing to Mercury Records. Whether it will finally catapult the floundering singer to Justin Bieber status is a more urgent question.