Zayn Malik marks one year of ‘Room Under the Stairs’ with 'insane' surprise

Zayn Malik received an over-the-top surprise to mark the one-year anniversary of his fourth studio album, Room Under the Stairs.

On Saturday, May 17, the former One Direction star took to his Instagram Stories to share an epic gift from HBO: a massive The Last of Us-themed cake.

Inspired by the post-apocalyptic video game and TV series, the cake was a pure delight, featuring a large guitar as a centre piece set against a giant rock adorned with coral-like detailing.

A life-sized black sneaker, made entirely of cake, sat next to the edible guitar, adding to the hyper-realistic design. The treat was decorated with real plants and intricate details, making it almost too beautiful to eat.

Zayn, 32, set the Instagram video to music from The Last of Us and captioned, "What the f***! Thank you so much! This cake is insane… Don’t even want to cut it."

He captured the cake from multiple angles, clearly in awe, and shared his excitement with fans.

In another post, the Stardust singer wrote, "Can’t believe it’s 1 year of Room Under the Stairs,” thanking HBO and The Last of Us for the thoughtful gesture.

To further celebrate the album’s anniversary, the Dusk Till Dawn hitmaker also reposted fan-made edits and tributes on his official social media accounts, acknowledging the support he’s received over the past year.

Room Under the Stairs marked a significant chapter in Zayn’s solo career, leading to his first-ever solo tour, nearly a decade after he exited One Direction in 2015, leaving behind Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Liam Payne, who died on October 16, 2024.