Alienated (song)

"Alienated"
Single by Zayn
from the album Room Under the Stairs
Released	12 April 2024 (2024-04-12)
Genre	Soul blues [1]
Length	4:07
Label	Mercury Republic
Songwriter(s)	Zayn Malik Daniel Zaidenstadt
Producer(s)	Zayn Dave Cobb
Zayn singles chronology
"What I Am" (2024) "Alienated" (2024) "Stardust" (2024)
Live performance
"Alienated" on YouTube

"Alienated" is a song by English singer-songwriter Zayn. It was released on 12 April 2024 through Mercury and Republic Records as the second single from his fourth studio album, Room Under the Stairs . Zayn wrote the song with Daniel Zaidenstadt and produced it alongside American record producer Dave Cobb.

Background

According to Zayn, via X, "'Alienated' was the first song I wrote for the album, so it kind of set the tone for the whole project - it shaped the way I wanted to approach the sound of my own voice, the styling of the guitars and the overall sonic direction." ^[2] He revealed on social media that he wrote the song six years ago. ^[3] The idea first came up while Zayn was living in Philadelphia when he "wanted to write something that was a little bit more elevated, and a little bit more insightful than the music that I'd been putting out at that point." ^[1] He also stated that it was his favourite off the album as it "comes from a place of sheer honesty and vulnerability." ^[4]

Composition

"Alienated" was written by Zayn and produced it with Dave Cobb. ^[5] The track strays away from Zayn's early R&B sound and focuses on a more soulful sound inspired by artists such as Chris Stapleton and Willie Nelson. ^[1] Speaking about the sound, he stated "you can't really put them in a genre," as he noted that the song was "influenced by other music." He described it as his version of blues. ^[6]

Live performance

On 12 April 2024, Zayn uploaded a live performance video of the song onto his YouTube channel, which marks his first live performance since 2016. ^[7]

Charts

Chart performance for "Alienated"

Chart (2024)	Peak position
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ) [8]	26
UK Asian Music (OCC) [9]	1
UK Singles Downloads (OCC) [10]	57
UK Singles Sales (OCC) [11]	60
UK British Asian Chart (OCC) [12]	1

Release history

Release history and formats for "Alienated"

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label	Ref.
Various	12 April 2024	Digital download streaming	Mercury Republic	[13]

References

1. Larisha Paul (April 17, 2024). "How Zayn Drew Inspiration From Chris Stapleton and Embraced Honesty on New Single 'Alienated'". Rolling Stone . Retrieved April 19, 2024.
2. Tyler Damara Kelly (April 12, 2024). "Zayn unveils new single, "Alienated" with live performance video". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved April 16, 2024.
3. "Zayn Malik reveals 6-year-old secret following 'Alienated' release". The News International . April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
4. Charisma Madarang (April 12, 2024). "Zayn Bids Adieu to the Past in New Single 'Alienated'". Rolling Stone . Retrieved April 16, 2024.
5. Alex Harris (April 14, 2024). "Alienated Lyrics: Zayn Lays Bare His Soul on Raw, Introspective New Single". Neon Music. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
6. @zaynmalik (April 8, 2024). "Alienated 12.4.24 👽" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
7. Brenton Blanchet (April 12, 2024). "Zayn Malik Shares First Live Performance Video Since 2016 as He Drops New Single 'Alienated'". People . Retrieved April 16, 2024.
8. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
9. "Official Asian Music Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company . Retrieved April 26, 2024.
10. "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
11. "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company . Retrieved April 19, 2024.
12. "Official British Asian Chart". Official Charts Company . Retrieved April 18, 2024.
13. "Zayn Releases Rare Live Performance Video for 'Alienated'". Universal Music Canada. April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.