Zayn Malik raps about racism he experienced as Asian member of One Direction in "Fuchsia Sea"

Quick highlights:

• Zayn Malik previewed a new track, Fuchsia Sea, on Instagram, touching on racism he experienced during his One Direction years.
• “They still laughed at the Asian,” he raps, alluding to feeling othered despite success.
• Malik was the only South Asian member of the band, which included Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and the late Liam Payne.
• The track marks a rare public reflection on the racial dynamics behind his 2015 departure from the group.

Zayn Malik is turning to music to process the discrimination he says he experienced during his time with One Direction. On Saturday, 5 July, the 32-year-old singer previewed a raw and emotional rap song titled Fuchsia Sea, sharing a clip and lyrics on Instagram that many fans believe directly address racism he faced as the only South Asian member of the global boy band.

In the verse, Malik raps: “I worked hard in a White band, and they still laughed at the Asian.” The line immediately sparked intense conversation online, with listeners pointing out how it echoed long-suspected tensions about racial identity and representation during his tenure in One Direction.

  Zayn Malik attends the Off-White fashion show during the September 2024 Getty Images

Zayn Malik lyrics reference race and exclusion

The lyrics Malik shared are among his most direct yet, touching on themes of alienation, generational struggle, and identity. In Fuchsia Sea, he paints a picture of emotional burden and resilience, rapping:

“Got my back against the wall so much they think I got a brick fascination... I’m a convert to the concert, and I did that for inflation… Left a blue mark on a white flag, then used blood for their painting.”

While Malik has previously opened up about mental health and needing space from fame, this is one of the first times he has publicly linked his departure from One Direction to experiences of racism and marginalisation. The lyrics suggest that while he contributed to the band’s global rise, he often felt side-lined because of his ethnicity.

  Zayn Malik on InstagramInstagram screengrab

Fans rally around Malik’s message

The track preview struck a chord particularly with South Asian fans, many of whom have long felt that Malik’s race was glossed over during One Direction’s peak. Online reactions ranged from gratitude to reflection, with many calling the lyrics “long overdue” and “painfully relatable.”

For British Asian listeners, Malik’s words were especially significant, as representation in mainstream Western pop music remains rare. “He said what we’ve been feeling for years,” one user wrote on X. “Zayn’s experience mirrors what so many of us go through in workplaces that were never built for us.”

  Fans react to Zayn Malik's song Twitter Screengrab

Reflecting on One Direction and Liam Payne’s passing

Malik’s musical revelation arrives just months after he revisited his boy band roots. During a March concert in Mexico City, he performed Night Changes, a One Direction song, for the first time in a decade. The performance was emotionally charged, with Malik telling the crowd: “I almost cried.”

Later that year, Malik reunited with Styles, Tomlinson, and Horan at Liam Payne’s funeral in November 2024, their first public appearance as a group since he left in 2015. Payne passed away unexpectedly at 31. Malik had previously honoured Payne at a show by dedicating his solo ballad It’s You to his late bandmate.

   Former One Direction band member Zayn Malik leaves following the funeral of singer Liam PayneGetty Images

Fuchsia Sea marks a turning point for Zayn Malik

Though the full track is yet to be released, Fuchsia Sea signals a more personal and unfiltered direction in Malik’s music. It’s a clear departure from his earlier solo work, which leaned heavily into R&B and pop.

This time, the focus isn’t fame or relationships, but identity. And by addressing his past with unflinching honesty, Malik seems ready to reclaim his voice on his own terms.

  One Direction Band members Getty Images

Whether Fuchsia Sea becomes a viral hit or not, it has already succeeded in sparking long-overdue conversations about race, fame, and belonging in the pop world.