Zayn Malik professes love for his fans in Urdu
Zayn was featured on Tu Hai Kahan by AUR last year. Photo: File
In a video clip circulating on social media, former One Direction member Zayn Malik playfully sang a short phrase in Urdu during a live performance on January 25. After fans chanted in encouragement, he delivered a melodic "Main tumse pyar karta hoon" (I love you) in his father's language, prompting loud cheers.
The moment took place during a show at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, as part of the 32-year-old singer's debut solo tour. Stairway to the Sky runs till March this year, marking stops in Europe and North America.
Earlier this week, during Zayn's LA stop, former bandmate Louis Tomlinson attended his show at the Shrine Exposition Hall. As per NME, Zayn announced Louis's presence mid-show. "An old friend of mine is here. I don't want to give his location away but Louis is here tonight," said the Pillowtalk singer.
With a number of covers and collaborations to his name, Zayn has tapped into his South Asian roots many times in the past. In January last year, Pakistani band AUR featured him on their track Tu Hai Kahan, taking fans by surprise with his Urdu vocals.
Zayn told BBC that he was "incredibly humbled" when the band reached out to him. "I love the song and have brought some of myself to it. I hope people love what we've done," he said.
The comments section under the YouTube upload of the music video brimmed with admiration. "I love Zayn's versatility and how he embraces his roots. This is a beautiful song," a user wrote. "The original version was already beautiful but with Zayn's voice it is just mesmerising," praised another.
Echoing the sentiments of the One Direction singer's longtime enthusiasts, a fan gushed, "I can't even explain how I felt after listening to Zayn's verse. This is what I had always dreamt of: Zayn singing in Urdu. I never expected I would hear the high notes in Urdu. There's no way that I get to listen to this. This still feels like a dream."
The intermission song, Flower, on Zayn's 2016 album, Mind of Mine, was sung in Urdu. Five years down the line, his 2021 album Nobody is Listening also incorporated Urdu lyrics. Speaking more on his music influences in an interview, he explained, "There's definitely a lot of Urdu; some nice qawwali sounds. There might even be some bhangra vibes. I have worked with [music producer] AR Rahman on one song."