Zayn Malik New Album Could Be Country Like Beyoncé: 'He Has No Fear'
Zayn Malik is gearing up to release a new record with "a different sound" that would surprise his fans.
Rolling Stone reported on Wednesday that the British singer is getting ready for the upcoming release of his fourth studio album, which he co-produced with Nashville-based record producer Dave Cobb.
While the release date, album title and other specific details are still unavailable, some fans suspect he might release a country album like Beyoncé.
"[I'm] thinking of folk-country vibe. I'm so here for it babe, @zaynmalik. Invite us for some tiny barn concert. Make it online or wherever you are comfortable. We're all just excited to see you again in your element," tweeted one fan.
"Gotta buy a cowboy hat and boots for Beyoncé and Zayn Malik's new albums," quipped someone else.
Another claimed, "Zayn Malik's upcoming project is gonna be a country rock album... His co-producer has only worked on country rock albums so..."
The multi-Grammy award-winning record producer has worked on several country albums, such as Jamey Johnson's "The Guitar Song" and Chris Stapleton's "Traveller," "From A Room: Volume 1," "Starting Over" and "Cold."
Cobb was also recognized as Producer of the Year at the 2017 Country Music Awards.
Now, he is co-producing the "Pillowtalk" singer's new album. After Malik spent several years writing the songs for his new record at home, he enlisted Cobb's help and expertise to be his co-producer.
"What got me about Zayn was his voice. You can hear love, loss, pain, triumph and humanity in it. I feel as if this record is removing the glass from his spirit directly to his fans," Cobb said about working with Zayn on his upcoming album.
He added, "Zayn has really created his own universe on this record. He really has no fear and is speaking straight from his soul."
In his long-awaited new record and his first with Mercury Records, Malik will reportedly explore "new sonic territory" and "vocals with live instrumentation."
Malik also hinted at some details about his upcoming album in a 2023 interview on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast.
"I'm doing a record I don't think people are really gonna expect. It's a different sound for me. And it's got some more narrative going on, like real-life experiences and stuff. My daughter's mentioned in there a couple of times," he told podcast host Alex Cooper.
An old statement from the "X Factor" alum in 2021 further fuels the speculation that he could be trying on the country music genre. He revealed he was a fan of country music artist Chris Stapleton and would love to collaborate with him.
"I reached out to him before, and he said he wanted to do something, so I'd like to do something with him in the future," he said at the time.
He continued, "I listen to a lot of country music. If there are any good country voices out there, I'm a fan."
Talking about country music, Beyoncé recently released her new single "Texas Hold 'Em," which led to her becoming the first Black woman to top Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart.
Queen Bey's full country album is set to drop on March 29.
