Zayn Announces Fifth Album ‘KONNAKOL’ & Lead Single ‘Die For Me’

Zayn is officially entering a new musical chapter.

via: Billboard

Following a flurry of recent activity for his former One Direction bandmates Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson in recent weeks, Zayn is now getting in on the action.

The 33-year-old has shared news of his upcoming fifth studio album, Konnakol, which is due to drop April 17 via Mercury Records/Island Records U.K. Lead single “Die for Me” will be released this Friday (Feb. 6).

The LP will be Zayn’s first since 2024’s Room Under the Stairs, which hit No. 15 on the Billboard 200, and No. 3 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart.

In a statement, Zayn has expanded on the album’s title, which is a reference to the art of performing percussion syllables vocally and often found in South Indian Carnatic music.

“It’s that time again, I have been lucky enough to make a fifth studio album,” he said in a press statement. “Konnakol in its definition is the act of creating percussive sounds with one’s voice, but what it means to me lies somewhere much deeper. It is a sound that holds the reverberation of a time before words existed.

He added, “I have always drawn on my heritage for inspiration since I first started making my own music — this album is a development of that understanding, knowing more now than ever, who I am, where I come from and where I intend to go.”

The album’s artwork sees Zayn’s face morphed with that of a snow leopard, an image that was first teased at his recent residency at Las Vegas’ Park MGM.

Zayn released his first solo album, Mind of Mine, in 2016, which charted at No. 1 in both the U.S. and U.K., and was followed by Icarus Falls (2018) and Nobody Is Listening (2021). In 2024, he ventured on his debut solo tour with a run of 21 shows in the U.K. and North America.

The news comes following the comeback of Harry Styles, who will release his fourth LP, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, on March 6, while Tomlinson recently hit the summit of the U.K. Albums Chart with How Did I Get Here?

At his Jan. 28 residency performance, Zayn made a cheeky remark about ticket prices, which some assumed were a reference to passes for Styles’ upcoming residency tour.