WEB DESK: British-Pakistani former One Direction band member, Zayn Malik, now Zayn, has promised to stick to his roots. Previously, Pillowtalk singer released an Urdu track, known as Intermission: Flower, showing his Pakistani heritage proudly.
The singer is back again with another one of his Urdu tracks, inspired by none other than Qawwali maestro, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. In his upcoming autobiography, Zayn, the solo artist tells all.
He wrote, “As we were chatting, Malay picked up the Martin backpacker and began playing a little riff, based on an idea I’d shown him earlier that day – a melody I’d been playing with. He added a few twists and, immediately, it sounded amazing. I was like, ‘Man, this is so cool. We should record some of this. And I think I want to sing this one in Urdu, like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan,'†he recalled.
“I knew that Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s music came from a spiritual place, and it was also almost like jazz: his band would find a hook, and they would sing and play it, but what happened next was pretty much improvisation, Intermission: Flowers soon took on a similar vibe. I was just riffing lyrics in Urdu over Malay’s lopped guitar, and we got it down.â€
Zayn further said, “Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan passed away in 1997, but in May 2016 I heard some talk that his nephew wanted to perform with me, to do a gig somewhere in India. He had taken on being the main guy in the band after his uncle’s death and, once he’d heard the story of Flower, he reached out. Doing something with him — anything — would be an honour. Fingers crossed we can make it work.â€
Talking about his paternal heritage, Zayn talked about his father, and how he has always supported and stood by him. The track inspired by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan can be a gift to his father, said the artist.
“My dad’s a hard worker and he has strong values. He was a personal trainer and is solidly built, and he used to go on at me all the time about being a good student and getting the right education. He wanted the best for me, and I wanted to please him in return.â€
“I wanted to show him, as much as everyone else, that I could do it, and once the tracks started coming together with Malay and a number of other producers I’d been working with, I began to feel that I was really able to express myself vocally and I hoped my parents were going to see it from my side.â€
