Video: Zayn Malik – ‘Pillowtalk’

Following huge anticipation, Zayn Malik has unveiled his solo debut single, Pillowtalk.

Lifted from his upcoming album Mind of Mine (out 25th March), Pillowtalk was teased earlier in the week, with the track receiving its first spin moments ago on the wider web; the song also points to a new focus for Zayn as the former One Direction member looks to shun his pop background in favour of a more R&B-focused career, a genre the singer has previously been vocal about advocating.

And it certainly shows too.

Teaming up with two relative newcomers for his debut, Pillowtalk hears input from Levi Lennox (responsible for M.I.A.’s impeccable Borders), whilst co-writing duties fall with Make You Know Love (MYKL) – both a sure sign that Zayn’s more interested in driving the sound, style, and above-all, quality that he seems most-comfortable with, than hitting the chequebooks for a ‘more grandeur’ collaborator though lesser opportunities for credibility.

Gearing up for the song’s release, yesterday also saw Malik sat down with Zane Lowe for his first radio interview, alluding more to his time within the phenomenally-successful band. “I think I kind of always wanted to go…. I never really wanted to be there in the band” he told Lowe on his Beats 1 show, adding “I just gave it a go because it was there at the time. When I realised the direction we were going in with the music, I instantly realised it wasn’t for me. I realised I couldn’t put any input in. I couldn’t give my opinion on this or that because it didn’t fit the grain of what we were as a band, or what we represented. So, that’s when it became frustrating for me.”

Pillowtalk is out now; catch the full video below: