Zayn Malik deems ‘Room Under the Stairs’ his most honest work to date

Zayn Malik breaks down the heart behind his latest album 'Room Under the Stairs'

By Javeria Shahid
November 22, 2025
Zayn Malik deems ‘Room Under the Stairs’ his most honest work to date
Zayn Malik deems ‘Room Under the Stairs’ his most honest work to date

Zayn Malik got real about the album that means the most to him.

The former One Direction star described his latest album, Room Under the Stairs, as a deeply personal record.

Reflecting on his fourth solo album to date, the Dusk Till Dawn hitmaker highlighted that RUTS is a product of his honesty, vulnerability, and passion for music.

"Whenever I talk about Room Under The Stairs, it's always a really good conversation that I can have because I feel like I was the most involved with that record in terms of what I was trying to say, what my point was, and even just putting, you know, actual life experience into lyricism rather than it just sounding cool," he explained.

On Thursday, November 20, the 32-year-old musician took over BBC radio 1 to open up about somethings his fans would have been eager to know.

"So what I am is pretty self-explanatory, you know. I'm not always great," he continued. "I'm not a finished article, I'm not always perfect but I try and I have intent in the right place and I feel like I love and if you can accept that then this is what I am, you know."

About Room Under the Stairs by Zayn Malik

Released on May 17, 2024, RUTS received generally favourable reviews from music critics, who praised its sincerity and creative direction.

The album debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart and number fifteen on the US Billboard 200.

The much-anticipated album came out over three years after Zayn released his third album, Nobody Is Listening.

It features 15 songs and among them What I Am, Alienated and Stardust were released as singles.