Last night, former One Direction member Zayn Malik (now going simply by ZAYN) stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Dressed in a long black coat and still donning his fantastically pink hair, Zayn made sure that his first solo TV appearance would not be forgotten.
Rather than perform his Billboard chart-topping debut single “Pillowtalk,” Zayn decided to debut a new track. “It’s You” is remarkably different than its predecessor and perhaps shines because of it. Described by Beats 1 Radio’s Zane Lowe as the “centerpiece of the album” last month, it doesn’t take long for listeners to understand why.
The new track finds Zayn reflecting on a failed relationship in his upper register, breathily mourning the end of something that he knows should have ended long ago. The chorus, which features ZAYN repeating “it’s you” in increasingly higher octaves, is Coldplay-esque in its anthemic, sweeping sound.
A live debut of a new song was not the only thing fans were gifted last night, however. ZAYN also used the appearance to present the heavily self-referential cover art for his forthcoming debut album, Mind of Mine. It features a baby Zayn Malik leaning onto the heavily tattooed arms of an adult Zayn Malik.
Watch the performance below. Mind of Mine is available on March 25.