Zayn Malik debuts new look with a nod to 'The Last of Us'

Zayn Malik took his fans' breaths away with latest selfie, debuting his new look with a nod to popular HBO series The Last of Us.

On Sunday, May 25, the former One Direction singer decided to send his fans into a frenzy and shared a much-awaited "zelfie" on his official Instagram account.

The picture, which marked his first post on the grid since April 1, shows the Dusk Till Dawn hitmaker rocking a full, thick, bushy beard and a heavy moustache.

Zayn, who shares a four-year-old daughter Khai Malik with former girlfriend Gigi Hadid, was wearing a white tank top, showing off his tattooed body, a bejewelled necklace and a black baseball cap that read, "HBO Original The Last of Us."

The comments section under the post was quickly flooded with his fans gushing over the new look, after he had recently been clean-shaven during his debut solo tour Stairway to the Sky Tour earlier in 2025.

"Well give me a second to breathe. PHEW [giglling emoji]," one admirer wrote playfully, followed by another, adding, "HE LOOKS SO GOOD!!!!!! Dies of hotness."

"He can literally wear any beard or hairstyle and look like a god [crying emoji]," a third raved.

While a fourth chimed in, saying, "The effect this picture is having on me rn is INSANE!!! [fire emoji]," a fifth complemented, "The beard is looking so good [teary eyes emoji]."

This isn’t the first time the Alienated singer has sported this kind of rugged stubble or publicly expressed his admiration for the Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey-led post-apocalyptic, sci-fi horror series based on the hit video game.

What truly had fans buzzing was a rare zelfie, for which they have been yearning since he wrapped up his tour a month ago.

Meanwhile, the team behind the show recently surprised him with an epic, giant The Last of Us-themed cake to celebrate the one-year anniversary of his fourth album, Room Under the Stairs.

Additionally, Zayn celebrated his 32nd birthday on January 12 with a Last of Us-themed cake featuring Clicker’s face, a terrifying enemy from the game.