Zayn Malik has revealed he eagerly accepted the opportunity to collaborate with Blackpink’s Jisoo on a new track, citing his daughter’s fervent fandom as a major incentive.
The former One Direction member, 32, recently launched “Eyes Closed” featuring the South Korean pop sensation last month.
During his inaugural BBC Radio 1 hosting gig, Zayn explained that Jisoo’s collaboration proposal immediately appealed to him. He quipped, “My daughter’s gonna think I’m cool again, so I’ll definitely do that.”
The singer shares his five-year-old daughter, Khai, with his former partner, US model Gigi Hadid.
This isn’t the first instance of Zayn expressing his admiration for the K-pop group.
Last summer, he shared an Instagram story featuring a photo of him holding his daughter at a Blackpink concert, accompanied by the caption “Me & Khai loved it.”
During his two-hour Radio 1 special, Zayn shared his enthusiasm for working with Jisoo, acknowledging her current success.
“I’ve wavered a little bit from the pop sound myself, so to come back to it with the people who are basically owning that genre at the minute was an honour,” he stated.
“If I can say thanks to Jisoo, I’m really happy with the way it turned out.”
Blackpink – consisting of Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa – is recognized as one of the leading K-pop girl groups globally.
Alongside his own tracks, Zayn used his radio platform to highlight some of his favorite artists, including US rappers Lauryn Hill and Eminem.
The Bradford-born singer also disclosed that his father was a “massive” Biggie Smalls enthusiast and would play the US rapper’s songs loudly, allowing the entire neighborhood to hear.
“Rap music was a big influence in my younger years and that was definitely made more prominent by the fact that I was living in Bradford, for sure,” he said.
The singer’s music career began in 2010 as part of One Direction, the boy band formed on TV talent contest, The X Factor.
He rose to stardom alongside the other band members – Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne.
Liam died in October 2024 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.
Zayn left the group in 2015 to go solo and released his debut album, Mind of Mine, in 2016, which topped the charts.
The singer went on to release three more albums. The latest, Room Under The Stairs, peaked at number three in the charts last year.
Strange Brew in Bristol says it cancelled a gig by a Oi Va Voi after pressure from “activist groups”.
The Rolling Stones frontman visited The Mick Jagger Centre at Dartford Grammar School in Kent.
A proposed law will make it illegal to resell tickets for events such as concerts above face value.
Volunteers at Falmouth Repair Cafe fix vital equipment just in time for Arrested Development gig.
The US pop star insisted she has not ruled out getting back on the road in the future