The Best Zayn Songs of All Time To Get Hyped For 'Room Under The Stairs'

One of the most iconic pop songs of the era sung by two equally emblematic artists, "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" is featured on the Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack. Co-written by Taylor Swift and Sam Dew alongside producer Jack Antonoff, this sultry song debuted at number six on Billboard's Hot 100 Chart and continued to dominate charts even weeks after release, making it a record-shattering track for both Swift and Zayn. Perfectly suited for the provocative film starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, the song encapsulates an intense longing for an ex-lover to a catchy, electropop beat.  

Zayn's highly-anticipated debut single, following his drama-laden departure from One Direction, made history after topping both the UK Singles Chart as well as the US Billboard Hot 100, making him the first British artist to launch a debut single at number one in the US. "Pillowtalk" was also a buzzy release due to the sensual nature of the song and the music video, which features his then-girlfriend, Gigi Hadid. Perhaps one of the most iconic songs of the era, in "Pillowtalk," Zayn breaks free of the boundaries of the idealized young, romantic love that was often a subject in One Direction songs in favor of a more mature, fiery passion. 

The first single from his highly anticipated 2024 album Room Under The Stairs, "What I Am" is packed with emotion, deriving from a dynamic beat and simple, yet crushingly honest lyricism. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Zayn shared that “[he] wanted each song to feel as if it was just me sitting beside you telling you how I feel, singing directly to you. It’s raw and stripped back and the type of music I always hoped to make."

"Take me as I am, I'm tired of dancin' around the point, sharp and it is jagged, like the shape of glass and it steals my voice," Zayn sings in the bridge, raw and stripped back, just as promised. 

The first anthem released as part of a two-part love story, "Let Me" acts as a true love song—raw, refreshingly honest, and melodically compelling, in true Zayn fashion. The British singer has remarked that he wrote the song about Hadid while the two were still in a relationship, but even after they split, the love that had been present at its center was too significant to discard, and thus, the song was released post-split. 

"I was in love, and I think that’s pretty evident. I was aspiring to be in love with someone for the rest of my life and the rest of theirs, as we all do," said Zayn in 2018 to Billboard after the release of the song. "Things change and we move forward in life. Times change, but that’s what I was thinking when I wrote it. You get to really put your experience into something. It should be remembered forever."

Featured on his second album, Icarus Falls, Zayn picks up the love story that played out in "Let Me" right where it left off. In "Entertainer," Zayn plays the part of a scorned lover in the process of getting over an ex, singing a bitter chorus that repeats "When you need me the most, I will turn you down," showing at once a strained, but still-present connection and a strong, emblazoned sense of venomous resentment towards someone he once loved and cherished. Fans have speculated that the song alludes to Zayn's relationship with Hadid, who at the time of the song's release was estranged, as the ex-lover in the music video bears a similar physical resemblance to the model.

Released as a standalone single in 2018, "Dusk Till Dawn" features a magnetic vocal exchange between Zayn and Sia, alternating between duetted verses and honest, impassioned solo refrains by Zayn alone. When put together, the lyrics and verses read as a conversation between lovers and show the tender inner workings of a relationship, making it one of Zayn's most compelling songs from the early era of his solo career. 

In "Like I Would," Zayn departs from his typically pop-adjacent style in favor of an upbeat, R&B tune, although he retains the sultry, amorous themes of his other hits, resulting in a funky, catchy bonus track that'll stick in your head for days.  

Released as a single shortly before the release of his album Nobody is Listening, "Better" chronicles the dissolution of a romantic relationship, which many have speculated to be about Hadid, given that at the time the model was pregnant with their child, and the status of their relationship seemed to be up in the air. 

"'Cause sometimes it's better that way, gotta let it go so your heart don't break," sings Zayn, lamenting the loss of a cherished relationship, before reconsidering, and hinting at a possible second chance, with the lyrics "In too deep, we're rearranged, say you feel the same."