Zayn previews 'Fuchsia Sea' with striking lyric on race
The teaser, posted to his Instagram on Saturday, includes the lyric: "Cause I have been conscious of every connotation / And while they concentrate on their elevation / I've got a round trip to the constellation / I'm a convert to the concert, and I did that for inflation, 'cause I worked hard in a white band, and they still laughed at the Asian."
The verse has drawn widespread attention for addressing his experience as the only non-white member of the boy band One Direction. Zayn's father is Pakistani, and his mother is of English and Irish descent.
While Zayn hasn't confirmed a release date, he noted the track is "coming soon." The song appears to be part of a return to music following his 2024 album Room Under the Stairs. In recent years, he has largely stayed out of the public eye, making only select appearances and releasing music sporadically.
On Liam's death
One such rare appearance came in late 2024, when Zayn reunited with former bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan to attend the funeral of Liam Payne. Liam died on October 16 last year at the age of 31, after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.
Zayn was one of the founding members of One Direction, formed during the 2010 season of The X Factor alongside Harry, Niall, Liam, and Louis. The band quickly rose to international fame, selling millions of records and becoming one of the biggest pop acts of the decade.
In 2015, Zayn officially announced his departure from the group in a statement, released on the group's social media, that said, "I'd like to apologise to the fans if I've let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart." He continued, "I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight. I know I have four friends for life in Louis, Liam, Harry, and Niall."
Zayn's exit came midway through the band's On the Road Again tour, which the remaining members completed without him. Since then, he has pursued a solo career, exploring genres beyond pop, including R&B and hip-hop.
Liam spoke about Zayn's departure during One Direction's appearance on The Late Late Show, saying, "We were surprised. I think we all knew the general vibe that Zayn was feeling. There were certain parts of this job that Zayn loved and certain parts of the job that he didn't." He shared their honest reactions, "Like I said, we were angry at first, but then it was just a bit disappointing." After the rest of the band finished their tour, they also went on an indefinite hiatus and focused on their solo careers.
Zayn briefly reflected on his time in One Direction during a concert in Mexico City in March, where he performed Night Changes, a track from the band's 2014 album Four. He told the crowd, "It's the first time I've sung that song in 10 years. Thank you, that was f--king amazing. I almost cried."
His upcoming track Fuchsia Sea appears to be one of his most personal to date, with lyrics directly referencing his racial identity and his experience in the band.
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Launching pad 'I think we got a bit lucky in the sense that in 1992, Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar was a huge hit - but what was when we disbanded Strings and took a break,' recalled Maqsood. 'We had some idea that we were a big hit in India - but we didn't know just how big.' The musical duo not knowing 'how big' they were in India became something of a recurring theme during their 2000 comeback with the Duur album. 'We made the album behind closed doors. We never thought music would be our profession. I had my own job, Faisal had his family business,' noted Maqsood. 'We just decided to make some music, and that we would see what would happen. It was only later that we decided that we should burn all our bridges and focus on our music.' The first indication that anyone across the border was taking any notice was when Indian Network Doordarshan sought their record company's permission to air their music. 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We played at clubs, at colleges - everywhere!' One moment of an almost electric connection with a 10,000-strong chanting Indian crowd, however, has become cemented in Maqsood's memory. 'There was this one time when we were playing in a Delhi Park singing this medley of Indian songs that we did in our set [...] and there were these 10,000 Indian youths just chanting along for Pakistan!' said Maqsood in awe. 'Faisal and I couldn't believe it. There was this Indian audience, there was Strings, and there was nothing else in between. Zero boundary. No political or geographical line - in that moment, India and Pakistan were just one.' Upon returning to Pakistan, the duo had started to get an inkling that perhaps stardom could be on the cards for them after all, despite the Pakistani musical landscape of the time wedded to more 'dhol'-oriented music (think Abrarul Haq) and less of Strings' signature pop sound. 'We had no idea what was going to happen, but we knew that this is the music we want to make,' said Maqsood. 'We had the trailer, so to speak, of success. Success was not even on the cards at the time, but we could feel this buzz around us. And that buzz? It was pretty inviting. So we decided to quit our jobs and focus on this.' Bollywood boundaries That buzz, as we all now know with the benefit of hindsight, gave birth to a catalogue of music forming the bedrock of early 2000s Pakistani pop - although once again, it was not just Pakistan paying attention. Bollywood, too, entered the equation, recruiting Strings to compose what ultimately became the song Yeh Hai Meri Kahani from the film Zinda starring John Abraham and Sanjay Dutt. Through it all, however, the band remained committed to staying true to their principles - and if that meant walking away from a potential Bollywood moneymaker, so be it. 'We never tried to reinvent ourselves,' insisted Maqsood. 'We always gave priority to our aesthetics - people realised this, and that is why they liked Strings.' Maqsood recalled being offered to compose a track for the 2006 Bollywood film Kabul Express - although that particular partnership dissolved before it could begin. 'Everything was sorted, and then I said, show us the script,' said Maqdood. 'I asked, what is the Pakistani angle in this? And then we saw the script, and knew that we couldn't do this. We said no.' To a man who loves the country he has grown up in, maintaining such a balance is no difficult task. 'When you already have these things ingrained in you, you don't have to 'balance' anything out,' You just know that there are some things you cannot do. It becomes muscle memory.' Being staunchly patriotic is not the only principle the Strings pair stuck to. Guns and cigarettes, too, remained a big no-no. 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In other words, for any aspiring musicians searching for the blueprint to success, Maqsood has the answers you seek. Create music that speaks to you, and let nobody sway you from what you believe. Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.
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