Zayn Malik Shines With M.I.A. on ‘AIM’ Track, ‘Freedun’
"I'm M.I.A. / I don't need any audition / I just got my own little mission / It grew bigger than a politician / History is just a competition," M.I.A. declares off the top of "Freedun," her entirely unexpected collaboration with former One Direction star, Zayn Malik.
The track, which premiered today (September 1) as Annie Mac's Hottest Record In The World on BBC Radio, is the latest offering from her upcoming (and possibly final) album AIM, out September 9.
While M.I.A. grabs the verses, Zayn supplies his lonesome, heavily layered vocals to the chorus, providing a vulnerable touch to the otherwise cocky, free-duh-duh-duh-dun filled production.
"All the stars are still shining / But you're the only one I see," he croons.
"It just kind of happened," she said to Annie of the collaboration's origins. "I made this song a long time ago and it was always sort of, like, too mainstream sounding for me. It just seems like it's perfect — if I was gonna have a collaboration, and have someone like Zayn — this is the perfect song. It sort of takes me out of my comfort zone, but kind of takes him out of his as well."
“We’ve just been going back and forth on, you know, WhatsApp," she told Entertainment Weekly last month. "I really wanted to write a song for Zayn…we had a couple people in common. And that’s how it came about. I didn’t really approach him for my own record until later on. First, I thought I wanted to try writing a song for him.”
Prior to "Freedun," M.I.A. dropped her massive Skrillex-assisted "Go Off" in July and the Diplo and Blaqstarr-produced "Bird Song" last month.
Listen to "Freedun," featuring Zayn Malik, up top.
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