Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube TikTok Spotify
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube TikTok Spotify
    Country Chord – More Than Just 3 ChordsCountry Chord – More Than Just 3 Chords
    Shop
    • News

      “Says Someone Who Gets Piped For A Livin” – Gavin Adcock Responds To Mia Khalifa’s Claim That Morgan Wallen’s Music Is “For Racists”

      June 24, 2025

      Adult Film Star Mia Khalifa Says That Morgan Wallen’s Music Is “For Racists” And The Internet’s Reaction Is Priceless

      June 24, 2025

      “We’re Heading To A Bunch of Places We Ain’t Been Yet” – Treaty Oak Revival Announces ‘Bad State Of Mind Part 2’ Tour Dates

      June 24, 2025

      “I Saw Luke Combs Do This A Couple Years Ago” – Luke Bryan Refunds Tickets After Losing Voice At Arkansas Concert, Pushes Through Anyway

      June 20, 2025

      The Top 25 Highest-Selling Country Artists Of All Time

      June 17, 2025
    • Rankings

      Ranking All 27 Songs From Post Malone’s “F-1 Trillion (Long Bed)”

      August 21, 2024

      Ranking All 26 Megan Moroney Songs From “Worst” To Best

      April 1, 2024

      Top 5 Songs From Every Zach Bryan Album Ranked

      March 11, 2024

      Ranking All 63 Chris Stapleton Songs From “Worst” To Best

      February 23, 2024

      Top 10 Brad Paisley Singles Ranked

      February 16, 2024
    • Music

      Vince Gill Tells Hilarious Story Of How His Auto Parts Dealer Alter Ego, “Willis,” Developed A 35-Year Friendship After Karaoke Prank At A Hotel Bar

      June 24, 2025

      Zach Top Covering George Strait’s “You Know Me Better Than That” Is The Best Thing You’ll Watch All Week

      June 22, 2025

      “It Was Terrifying For Me” – Megan Moroney Shares The Story Of How Winning A Sorority Pageant Helped Launch Her Country Music Career

      June 18, 2025

      The Top 25 Highest-Selling Country Artists Of All Time

      June 17, 2025

      Zach Top and Dierks Bentley Performing “Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)” As The Hot Country Knights & Billy Bottoms Jr. Is The Best Thing You’ll Watch All Week

      June 16, 2025
    • Tours

      “We’re Heading To A Bunch of Places We Ain’t Been Yet” – Treaty Oak Revival Announces ‘Bad State Of Mind Part 2’ Tour Dates

      June 24, 2025

      Zach Top Announces 2025 ‘Cold Beer & Country Music’ Tour Dates With Jake Worthington

      June 20, 2025

      Dylan Gossett Announces ‘The Westward Tour’ With Willow Avalon, Drayton Farley And More

      May 19, 2025

      Turnpike Troubadours Announce 2025 ‘Wild America Tour’

      May 13, 2025

      Riley Green Adds New Dates To His ‘Damn Country Music Tour’

      April 28, 2025
    • Entertainment

      “Says Someone Who Gets Piped For A Livin” – Gavin Adcock Responds To Mia Khalifa’s Claim That Morgan Wallen’s Music Is “For Racists”

      June 24, 2025

      Vince Gill Tells Hilarious Story Of How His Auto Parts Dealer Alter Ego, “Willis,” Developed A 35-Year Friendship After Karaoke Prank At A Hotel Bar

      June 24, 2025

      “It Was Terrifying For Me” – Megan Moroney Shares The Story Of How Winning A Sorority Pageant Helped Launch Her Country Music Career

      June 18, 2025

      WATCH: Riley Green Shares Hilarious Story Of His Ex-Girlfriend Finding His Grandmother’s Bra In His Kitchen

      June 11, 2025

      Megan Moroney Comments On A TikTok Users Video Containing A Shirtless Riley Green Tee And The Dating Rumors Are Once Again In Full Effect

      June 3, 2025
    • Playlists
      • Spotify
      • Apple Music
    • Shop
    Country Chord – More Than Just 3 ChordsCountry Chord – More Than Just 3 Chords
    Home » News » One Direction’s Zayn Malik Talks New Country Flavored Album ‘Room Under the Stairs,’ Inspired by Chris Stapleton & Willie Nelson

    One Direction’s Zayn Malik Talks New Country Flavored Album ‘Room Under the Stairs,’ Inspired by Chris Stapleton & Willie Nelson

    Melanie RootenBy Melanie RootenMay 14, 2024 News
    Facebook Twitter Copy Link Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Tumblr Email
    Photo Credit: Mixoloshe
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Launched into the limelight as a member of One Direction back in 2010, nobody expected Zayn Malik — who parted ways with the band in 2015 to create some solo music that was much more mature — to delve into the country space with his fourth studio album, Room Under the Stairs.

    Hitting all music streaming services on Friday (May 17), Zayn admitted in an exclusive interview with Nylon that he will be following in the footsteps of chart-topping superstars like Beyoncé, Post Malone, Lana Del Rey and more with his forthcoming record, leaning into a genre that he has yet to conquer in his career: country.

    Making pop-packed music with One Direction, Zayn leaned into his grungy aesthetic — consisting of “bad boy” behavior, grafitti, tattoos and more — after parting ways with the band, releasing some songs that fell into the R&B scene while sharing some NSFW stories. Nowadays, the 31-year-old is embracing fatherhood and taking some time away from the spotlight by sequestering himself on his farm in Pennsylvania, caring for a throng of farm animals as well: chickens, dogs, cats, turtles and more. Naturally, his inspiration and style of music has shifted, deeming his new country-leaning lifestyle — as well as artists like Chris Stapleton and Willie Nelson — to be the inspiration behind Room Under the Stairs as a whole.

    “I was pretty much on my farm having a glass of whiskey and listening to a bit of Stapleton by the fire with my dog, playing guitar,” Zayn explained when he was asked where the twangy sound of Room Under the Stairs came from. “I’m proud of it. I think it shows a certain level of intellect, to be a bit ahead of the curve… People need to know I didn’t jump on the bandwagon,” he added, ensuring Nylon that he came up with the sound of his fourth studio album his own, rather than chasing country music simply because that is what’s trendy in the year 2024.

    In addition to the sound, Zayn admitted that both Chris Stapleton and Willie Nelson’s stellar storytelling were a strong influences while working on the record altogether:

    “I could really hear their lyrics and their pain and their growth and the life lessons. I didn’t feel like there was a Chris Stapleton song that comes on and he sounds like a f***boy, right? He doesn’t do it! He’s not out here saying, ‘B*****s in the club! We’re drinking Bacardi!’ or whatever these young kids use now… He’s not like that. He’s got class, right? He’s telling you a real grown man’s story, and I respected the f**k out of it. I was like, ‘This is cool. It’s something I can do.’”

    With the album’s fifteen songs said to consist of “warm, spacey soundscapes that give Zayn room to ponder the big life questions you start asking after a few beers late at night,” Room Under the Stairs has already been deemed the best album to come from the former boy band member by his friends, family and his team, before even being released to the public. Speaking of his team, one individual who helped contribute to this country-flavored record is the one and only Dave Cobb, one of the producers on Room Under the Stairs who has also won nine GRAMMY Awards and worked with individuals like Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile and more in his career.

    “It’s a really beautiful thing to see an artist come to a point in their career where they’re like, ‘You know what? I’m just going to be me. I’m going to do everything I want to do,'” Cobb said about the soon-to-be “country” crooner. “I was just blown away because he was forging his own path. There’s nothing copycat about it. There’s all kinds of influences, but I couldn’t pinpoint exactly where anything was coming from. I thought he was just making his own lane.”

    Said to be country-leaning all while “making his own lane,” I cannot wait to hear what the overall sound of Room Under the Stairs will consist of when it hits streaming services on Friday. Promising songs that are “f*****g fire,” we will just have to wait and see whether or not if it is really country…

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Zayn Malik (@zayn)

    Zayn Malik
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Tumblr Email

    Comments are closed.

    “Says Someone Who Gets Piped For A Livin” – Gavin Adcock Responds To Mia Khalifa’s Claim That Morgan Wallen’s Music Is “For Racists”

    June 24, 2025

    Adult Film Star Mia Khalifa Says That Morgan Wallen’s Music Is “For Racists” And The Internet’s Reaction Is Priceless

    June 24, 2025

    Vince Gill Tells Hilarious Story Of How His Auto Parts Dealer Alter Ego, “Willis,” Developed A 35-Year Friendship After Karaoke Prank At A Hotel Bar

    June 24, 2025

    “We’re Heading To A Bunch of Places We Ain’t Been Yet” – Treaty Oak Revival Announces ‘Bad State Of Mind Part 2’ Tour Dates

    June 24, 2025

    Country Chord – More Than Just 3 Chords
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram TikTok YouTube Spotify
    • Spotify
    • Apple Music
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
    © 2025 Copyright Country Chord

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Ad Blocker Enabled!
    Ad Blocker Enabled!
    Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please support us by disabling your Ad Blocker.