Zayn Didn’t ‘Jump On The Bandwagon’ With His Country Album

Zayn wants to let the world know that his upcoming country album, Room Under the Stairs, isn't his attempt at jumping on a music trend.

The 31-year-old singer-songwriter told Nylon in a new interview this week of the inspiration behind his new country sound. As we know, Zayn has been living in rural Pennsylvania for years. He tells the publication that his day-to-day routine consists of chilling on his farm, "having a glass of whiskey and listening to a bit of [Chris] Stapleton by the fire with my dog, playing guitar."

However, while he’s “proud” of his fourth solo studio album, he still worries about comparisons to other artists who made country albums, like Beyonce, Post Malone, Sheryl Crow and Steven Tyler. He tells the publication that, “People need to know I didn’t jump on the bandwagon."

What sets him apart from the aforementioned artists who dipped their toes in the country genre, Zayn seems to understand that people are "in search of a little bit more depth from the lyrics." The former One Direction boy-bander says in the top 40 charts specifically, most mainstream music feels "a bit wish-washy." He admits the songs are "f---ing fire" because they're catchy, and the top 40 tracks are just doing their job.

Zayn then doubled down on how much the "Tennessee Whiskey" singer-songwriter inspired him, as well as country legends like Willie Nelson. Of their lyricism, the English singer found inspiration from their pain, growth, and life lessons evoked in their songwriting. "I didn’t feel like there was a Chris Stapleton song that comes on and he sounds like a f—boy, right? He doesn’t do it! He’s not out here saying, ‘Bitches in the club! We’re drinking Bacardi!’"

Calling out Gen Zers and Gen Alpha, Zayn says those younger artists use that kind of terminology in their songs. Meanwhile, Stapleton, 46, gives Zayn an example of a classy, "real grown man" telling his story through music. Zayn, who shares three-year-old daughter Khai with his ex-girlfriend Gigi Hadid, respected "the f—" out of Stapleton's songwriting style.

Zayn's 15-track album, Room Under The Stairs, drops this Friday, May 17th. This is the full tracklist:

Room Under the Stairs marks Zayn’s first full-length solo project since 2021’s Nobody Is Listening. After leaving One Direction in 2015, he launched his solo music career with 2016’s Mind of Mine, followed up with 2018’s Icarus Falls.

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