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Zayn Malik Praises 'Star' Raye On All New Capital Breakfast Show

17 April 2024, 09:11 | Updated: 1 May 2024, 11:51

Zayn says he appreciates Rayes "vocals and lyricism"
Zayn says he appreciates Rayes "vocals and lyricism". Picture: Capital/Getty

By Abbie Reynolds

Zayn just said some really nice things about Raye in an interview about his new music on the all new Capital breakfast show.

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The former One Direction bandmate joined the All New Capital Breakfast Show to talk all things new music. His fourth studio album drops May 17th and ahead of its release he has already released the single 'What I Am' and has 'Alienated' lined up to come out next.

But in March 2024 he took a well deserved break from promoting new music as he and his team headed to The O2, London to watch Raye's live show.

In the extended version of his Capital interview, Zayn revealed that he isn't a personal friend of Raye but rather a "distant admirer" like the rest of us normies and he wasn't short on praise for the record-breaking artist.

"I appreciated her vocals and lyricism," he started, "she's an amazing artist and when I went to see her perform live she [was] just a star you know. She really knows how to talk to crowd and she’s got a nice personality."

Raye performing onstage at the 2024 Coachella Valley
Raye performing onstage at the 2024 Coachella Valley. Picture: Getty

Zayn said he doesn't have a favourite Raye track, he said: “I like a lot of her stuff, she’s got a cool vibe. I like the fact that she brought the orchestra out with her, it was really cool. It made everything a bit more special."

2024 has been a big year for Raye, who released her first independent album 'My 21st Century Blues' in 2023. She's taken home six Brit Awards (which was a historical win) hosted Saturday Night Live and performed at Coachella - and now got the Zayn Malik seal of approval!

ZAYN on working on his farm with his daughter, what he misses about the UK, and his karoake song!

In his interview on Capital, Zayn also revealed the meaning behind his album's title 'Room Under The Stairs' and yes, it is a slight Harry Potter reference.

He said when he was younger he used to watch a film called Children Under The Stairs and the title always stuck with him. But also he was recorded the music for this album in a cupboard underneath a set of stairs.

While it made sense, he said he wasn't convinced 'Cupboard Under The Stair' had a nice ring to it. He went on to admit that he is a "big fan" of the JK. Rowling story and so it did, in some ways, inspire this album title.

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