READY TO TAKE OFF: The former One Direction singer is gearing up for his album launch
READY TO TAKE OFF: The former One Direction singer is gearing up for his album launch

Yorkshire’s favourite popstar, Bradford born Zayn Malik, has caused ripples of excitement to explode in all ‘directions’ this week as fans lapped up his latest single on YouTube, a week ahead of the drop of his solo album on 25th March.

The slamming slow-jam tune – ‘BeFoUr’ – is a perfect slice of pop which clocked up nearly 400,000 listens online, just an hour after it went live.

The 23-year-old former One Direction singer is embarking on his own career since splitting from the group, and has unveiled another new song to keep fans entertained ahead of the highly anticipated album.

On the new records, Zayn sings in his typical falsetto: “I don’t drink to get drunk, I feel all the right funk, if there’s something I want, I’ll take all the right wrongs” which becomes lyrical dynamite when set against the storming beat.

It follows ‘Pillowtalk’, ‘Like I Would’ and ‘It’s You’, and showcases a soulful, R&B vibe as the singer continues to distance himself from his cutesy boyband past.

ALBUM COVER: Zayn has picked a family photo of himself as a young boy, complete with photoshopped tattoos on his arms and hands
ALBUM COVER: Zayn has picked a family photo of himself as a young boy, complete with photoshopped tattoos on his arms and hands

Zayn will celebrate his album release with an appearance on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon.

He had initially offered fans a taste of the tracks prior to his smouldering Fader magazine cover shoot.

He told the publication: “I don’t feel like people really know what I’m going to give them, musically.

“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 s*** 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.”

Last week, Zayn was trolled by 1 Direction fans, known as ‘Directioners’ after they complained that his track ‘Like I Would’ – taken from his upcoming debut album ‘Mind of Mine’ – sounded like a rip off of 1D tune ‘I Would’.

Zayn also made the headlines again this week after raising controversy over whether he had a new head tattoo. He was pictured with a huge etching of a bird saying ‘M.o.m’ near his temple, but the next day his girlfriend, model Gigi Hadid, posted a snapchat picture of him minus the body art.

REAL OR FAKE?: Zayn caused controversy over whether his head tattoo was real or not
REAL OR FAKE?: Zayn caused controversy over whether his head tattoo was real or not