Room Under the Stairs

Room Under the Stairs is the fourth studio album by English singer-songwriter Zayn, released on 17 May 2024. Production was primarily handled by Zayn and Dave Cobb, with additional production from Gian Stone, James Ghaleb, Carter Lang, Rodaidh McDonald, German, and Kareen Loomax. The "Z Sides" version of the album was released three days later, which includes five additional tracks, two of which are demos. It is Zayn's first project not to feature any guest appearances, and his first album under new label Mercury and Republic Records.

Room Under the Stairs spawned the singles "What I Am" and "Alienated". The album received generally favourable reception. It debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart, and at number 15 on the US Billboard 200.

Background
In July 2023, Zayn was interviewed by Alexandra Cooper of Call Her Daddy, where he revealed that he was recording a new album and spoke about some of its content and sound: "I'm doing a record I don't think people are really gonna expect. It's a different sound for me. And it's got some more narrative going on, like real-life experiences and stuff. My daughter's mentioned in there a couple of times".

On 28 February 2024, American record producer Dave Cobb revealed that he was extensively working with Zayn on the latter's upcoming album in an interview with Rolling Stone, in which he said: "What got me about Zayn was his voice, you can hear love, loss, pain, triumph and humanity in it. I feel as if this record is removing the glass from his spirit directly to his fans. Zayn has really created his own universe on this record, he really has no fear and is speaking straight from his soul". Exactly a week later, in a teaser video, Zayn said: "I think the intention behind this album fully is for the listener to get more insight on me personally as a human being".

The cover art for Room Under The Stairs serves as a visual metaphor for a new beginning for Zayn, featuring his silhouette superimposed on a simplified concept illustration of a room under a staircase. The use of the blueprint drawing conveys the idea of life under construction, paralleling Zayn's deliberate crafting of new musical narratives. The contrast between the silhouette underscores the album's exploration of intimate aspects of the artist's mind and the conception of fresh beginnings.

Conception and influence
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Zayn stated that listening to Chris Stapleton and Willie Nelson inspired the songwriting for this album. Putting aside the glossy R&B of his earlier releases in favor of a more rustic and soulful sound inspired by the likes of Stapleton and Nelson.

According to Clash, Room Under the Stairs is a "true coming-of-age story, rooted in an organic, live environment where he draws on genres such as soul, country, and pop, and his lyrical sincerity and renewed creative freedom have taken his music in an exciting and interesting direction that no one saw coming."

Music
The album forgoes soulful resolve that solidifies the diversity of his angelic singing chops across "Grateful", "Alienated" and "My Woman", while country pop ode "Stardust" has enough emotion to choke the hardest of hearts - and such romantic infatuation with his new, golden locale is more than persuasive, making richer a usually unpopular swerve to stripped-back pop. Indie rock cut "Gates of Hell" is certainly inspired, if not paint-by-numbers, while later, possessed by the spirit of soft rock Americana, an odd American twang overcomes the singer, suggesting a seedling desire to step outside the box, albeit prematurely hatched, in resistance to his "R&B roots". But those longstanding sensibilities can’t help but creep back in, see the soft pop of "What I Am"; the long falsettos of "False Starts"; the trickling, buttery vocals of "Something in the Water"; or even the strange, confused combination of soft rock and R&B on "Fuchsia Sea".

Songs
Zayn’s sonic reinvention arrives immediately in Room Under the Stairs, as the opener “Dreamin” pairs his general sense of yearning with blues rock that reaches out for listener participation. Remaining at a jazzy pace throughout, ‘Dreamin’ showcases Zayn’s remarkable voice reaching new peaks as he effortlessly weaves in and out of R&B-styled runs.

What I Am, released as the lead single, is a soulful, bruised ballad with a lovely, gliding chorus. Fully removing Zayn from his past rhythmic-pop territory and embarking on a folksy new beginning. His rich, elegantly frayed vocal coats a soft rock lilt and nagging melody. The album's third track "Grateful", is alternately languid and soaring, with Zayn given a platform to show off his full, impressive vocal range. He sounds fully unlocked over the swaying rock production.

The second single "Alienated" is a raw and often stunning, soul-flecked track. With the country rock undertones and a soulfulness that connects the song with his past oeuvre. The track "My Woman" is sexy in a classically Zayn style, but with a more mature, timeless feel. It works as a simple, spaced-out rocker, with Zayn hovering above a collection of guitars, keys and drums. "How It Feels" is an emotionally raw lament, aiming for folksy reflection. While sweeping strings and church-worthy keys support his yearning cries.

On “Stardust”, Zayn operates in a different sound than he’s used to, but relies on his well-worn vocal warmth, it benefits from a sense of tempo and nicely crafted hooks. Easily the highlight, and one that will lend itself perfectly to concert sing-a-longs. Gates of Hell” is a raw, rough around the edges and intriguingly unbothered with pop appeal. "Birds on a Cloud" is one of the sole moments of up-tempo blood rush. Zayn’s voice is purposely thinned out, sounding emotionally wobbly, the brittleness of the performance is effective given the lyrical themes.

“Concrete Kisses” sings over sparkling keys and a meandering bassline. The song shrugs off the misery with rollicking keyboard work and full-bodied soul rock. The track is a gorgeous, intimate and thought-provoking record. "False Starts" slowly builds, almost as if it’s reflecting the courage it takes to work up to doing something. The vocal performance on “False Start” is dynamic with the Zayn leaning into his falsetto and showing off the full spectrum of his technical talent. “The Time” offers an instrumentation of honeyed mix of guitar and drums. However, according to Variety his vocal riffs and embellishments often sound too rugged or misplaced against the instrumentation.

Zayn locates a beautiful meeting point between the R&B stylings of his solo past and the more guitar-driven fare, “Something in the Water” is a cross-genre gem, giving Zayn a chance to delve into wedding-song material in earnest. "Shoot at Will" is a sterile ballad about being lured back into the past. Although Zayn spends much of “Shoot at Will” sounding resigned to an unhappy fate, the tender acoustic guitar offers a glint of hope, as the song threatens to boil over into buoyant folk pop but never crosses the threshold. The closing “Fuschia Sea” returns to the smooth and sultry vocal deliveries that we heard from Zayn’s previous projects. The song features an excellent, emotion-drenched vocal performance.

Release and promotion
The album was announced alongside with its release date on 13 March 2024, and was released on 17 May 2024. Zayn released a 45 seconds teaser-trailer on 6 March 2024 and made the album available for pre-order.

"What I Am" was released on 15 March 2024 as the lead single for the album, it was accompanied by a lyric video. "Alienated", the second single for the album was released with an accompanying live performance on 12 April 2024. "Stardust" was accompanied with a music video that was released the same day of the album.

Zayn announced his first-ever solo live show at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on May 17 in celebration of the release of his fourth album Room Under the Stairs. He will be performing a selection of tracks from his new LP.

Critical reception
Room Under the Stairs received generally positive reviews from music critics. Metacritic indicates "generally favorable reviews", with an aggregate score of 69 out of 100, based on ten reviews. Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic commented that "more than a reductive "Zayn goes country" album, the beautiful Room Under the Stairs is the sound of an artist trying something brave and new, tapping into his soul and coming out on the other side with the strongest album of his career to date."

Shannon Garner of Clash stated that it "is a revealing meditation of his journey in life where he lays his thoughts and feelings bare and the songs are built on a relaxing energy that can calm an audience in seconds." She followed "not only finds Zayn demonstrating a very natural outlet for his imagination, beginning an intriguing new chapter of his career, but it also finds him exploring the hard notion of healing and self-discovery whilst remaining true to himself and that's something his fans should be proud of."

The Daily Telegraph stated that the album shows "Malik’s voice washes over you in slow, sensual waves, backed by instrumentals that sound more at home in dingy dive bars than brightly-lit stadiums."

Dan Harrison of Dork called the record a "poignant reminder that sometimes losing one’s way is the first step toward being truly found. It’s a courageous, creative statement from an artist who has emerged from the crucible of personal evolution battle-scarred yet unbroken, with a clarity of voice and purpose as bracing as it is beautiful. Malik has reinvented himself not only as an artist but also as a human being – and that, in itself, is a remarkable achievement."

Michael Cragg of The Guardian expressed that the "album is another unexpected manoeuvre. Eschewing his pop R&B sound, it focuses on rustic acoustic guitars, tinkling keys and the patter of live drums". He also stated that "it’s a record that further cements Malik as an intriguing outlier."

Sophia Simon-Bashall of The Line of Best Fit praised the album, stating that "they’re Zayn’s stories but they’re shared in such an honest, straightforward yet compelling manner that they feel like your own."

Commercial performance
Zayn made a notable comeback with Room Under the Stairs, which debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart. He achieved significant success in the UK, selling the most physical copies across various independent record stores and debuting at number one on the Record Store Charts. During the album's release week, Zayn was the second-best-selling artist across all platforms and formats, debuting at number two on the Official Albums Sales Chart, Physical Albums Chart, and Vinyl Albums Chart. This album marked Zayn's best-selling release in the UK in nearly eight years. Internationally, the album debuted at number two in Scotland, number nine in Germany and the Netherlands, and number fifteen in Australia.

In the United States, Room Under The Stairs became Zayn's best-selling album since his debut record, Mind of Mine. The album entered the top 20 on the Billboard 200, ranking at number 15 by selling nearly 30,000 units in its first week. Zayn was the third best-selling artist in the country during the album's release week, debuting at number three on the Top Album Sales Chart, Top Current Album Sales Chart, and Vinyl Albums Chart. Additionally, for the first time, Zayn appeared on the Top Rock Albums Chart and Top Rock & Alternative Albums Chart, debuting at number four, and at number five on the Americana/Folk Albums Chart.

Track listing
Note
 * $undefined$ signifies an additional producer

Personnel
Musicians
 * Zayn – lead vocals (all tracks), background vocals (track 7)
 * Brian Allen – bass (tracks 1–6, 8–10, 12–15)
 * Carter Lang – bass, drums, guitar, synthesizer (track 11)
 * Dave Cobb – electric guitar (tracks 1–7, 9–10, 13, 15), acoustic guitar (4, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15), percussion (4, 8)
 * Derrek Phillips – drums (tracks 1–10, 12–15), percussion (1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10)
 * German – drums, keyboards, programming (track 13)
 * Gian Stone - drums, electric guitar, percussion, programming (track 7)
 * James Ghaleb – bass, electric guitar (track 7)
 * Kareen Lomax – guitar (track 13)
 * Logan Todd – percussion (track 5)
 * Philip Towns – keyboards (tracks 1–10, 12–15), percussion (4, 8, 10)
 * Rodaidh McDonald – guitar, percussion, programming, synthesizer (track 11)
 * Sean Douglas - background vocals (track 7)

Technical
 * Carter Lang – engineering (track 11)
 * Daniel Bacigalupi – mastering
 * Daniel Zaidenstadt – engineering
 * Eric Caudieux – editing (tracks 5, 6, 13, 14)
 * Ethan Barrette – engineering assistance
 * Greg Koller – mixing (tracks 1–6, 8–15), engineering (1–10, 12–15)
 * Gian Stone – engineering (track 7)
 * Jeremie Inhaber – mixing (track 7)
 * Justin Cortelyou – editing (track 14)
 * Pete Lyman – mastering
 * Rodaidh McDonald – engineering (track 11)