Zayn Malik is pulling back the curtain on his experiences with racism during his time in One Direction—and he’s doing it through his music.
The 32-year-old singer recently previewed a brand new track titled “Fuchsia Sea” on Instagram Stories, and the lyrics suggest a deeply personal reflection on what he endured as the only South Asian member of the boy band during their peak years between 2010 and 2015.
In the verse, Zayn writes:
“Rise and fall / I fight intimidation, imagination lack across a nation / Got my back back against the wall / So much they think I got a brick fascination,” he began. “Do you remember every conversation? / Cause I 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 / Left a blue mark on a white flag / Then used blood for their painting.”
Zayn continues:
“If my granddad could go back / Lad there’s a fat chance of a backhand / Just a young man with his own kid and a wife now / In a new land / I know he dreamed hard / Cause They’re my dreams / And I grabbed hard with these two hands.”
And in an emotional closer, Zayn shares:
“Then I shudder / I hope the plain is in sight of the fields that I suffer / If we need to scream / That may explain why I stutter / As I fly so high and then melt like butter / I still sense and don’t mutter / I might sing like a bird / But my wings never fluttered.”
The song—powerful, poetic, and raw—hasn’t been officially released yet, but Zayn teased on Instagram that it’s “coming soon.”
