Zayn Says He Wrote His New Album Entirely on His Own to Give Fans ‘More Insight on Me Personally’

Zayn Malik‘s next album was a labor of self-love and intention. In a new teaser trailer for the record, which does not yet have a title or release date, the musician opens up about the creative process behind the record and why it was important for him to write it on his own.

“I think the intention behind this album fully is for the listener to get more insight on me personally as a human being — my ambitions, my fears,” he shared in the clip. “And for them to have a connection with that.”

Last week, Rolling Stone confirmed details about the album, which was co-produced by Dave Cobbs and was written over the course of several years at Malik’s home in rural Pennsylvania. “That’s why it’s raw,” he added. “It’s just me writing this I didn’t want anybody else to be in between me and the music and the music and the people listening to it.”

The trailer ends with a brief preview of an unreleased song from the album where he sings: “If I told you ‘I love you,’ would you say that it’s fucked up?”

“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, a prominent Nashville producer, recently told Rolling Stone. “Zayn has really created his own universe on this record, he really has no fear and is speaking straight from his soul.”

The album will be Malik’s first under Mercury Records. It also finds the singer leaning into new sonic territory marked by live instrumentation and the exploration of his wide-spanning vocal range.

“I’m doing a record I don’t think people are really gonna expect. It’s a different sound for me,” Malik said last year during an interview on Call Her Daddy. “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.”