Zayn Malik: Ex-One Direction’s Urdu hit ‘Tu Hai Kahan’ leaves millions longing for more

British heartthrob Zayn Malik, who is known to the world for his melodious vocals in English, has now tested his singing mettle by crooning an Urdu language love song — and apparently, the fans can’t get enough of it.

Collaborating with the Pakistani band “Aur”, Zayn features in the remake of their popular hit “Tu Hai Kahan” which has more than 95 million views on YouTube.

However, the remake too, has received significant praise from fans as the song has garnered more than 3.5 million views on the video-sharing platform.

Expressing his views on his experience of singing Urdu lyrics, the 31-year-old — a former member of the popular boy band One Direction — told BBC in an interviewthat he loved the song and hoped that fans would love the collaboration after he brought some of himself to the rendition.

This is not the first time Zayn has showcased his vocals in Urdu, as the British singer — who rose to fame after his music career kicked off via One Direction following his appearance on the British TV music competition “The X Factor” in 2010 — previously included Urdu lyrics in his track “Tightrope”, from his 2021 album “Nobody is Listening”.

The collaboration cannot be termed unexpected as the British singer — who was born and raised in Bradford — has Pakistani roots as his father immigrated to the UK from the South Asian nation.

This is how the fans reacted to Zayn’s collaboration with the Pakistani band.

“This is a great gesture by Zayn by collaborating with these youngsters and making their song much more popular than it was […] Zayn collaboration gave it those extra wings and wind to it,” commented a fan.

Meanwhile, another termed the song a “masterpiece” and thanked the British artist for encouraging the talented Pakistani artists.

“This collab is going to be my comfort song for a long time,” wrote an X user.

“Zayn stans will forever cherish this song. We truly appreciate you all for making this happen,” said another.

Whereas some fans were “shocked” to see how eloquently Zayn managed to sing Urdu lyrics.

“One of the best and unexpected collaborations ever […] truly a masterpiece,” a user commented on the song.

“Big love […] thanks for all the support,” Zayn said while reacting to the overwhelming praise from the fans.

The collaboration between Zayn and Aur — comprising Ahad, Usama, and Raffey — reflects the band’s open-minded approach to music as it believes that music has no boundaries, the essence of which is reflected in the song.

Reacting to the global popularity and overwhelming reactions from the fans, the band said they were taking Pakistani music to the world stage and “can’t wait for the world to vibe to their music”.