Zayn Malik rose to fame as one fifth of the globe conquering band One Direction, who were formed on ‘The X Factor’ in 2010. In March 2015, Zayn left the band and less than a year later he launched his solo career with ‘Pillowtalk’, which hit number one on both sides of the Atlantic. His debut solo album ‘Mind of Mine’ also topped the charts and Zayn has followed it up with another four solo albums – ‘Icarus Falls’ (2018), ‘Nobody is Listening’ (2021), ‘Room Under the Stairs’ (2024) and most recently ‘Konnakol’ (2026).
Commercially Zayn hasn’t reached the heights he enjoyed as part of One Direction, but out of all the members of the band, he’s released the most interesting solo music. In part Zayn’s patchy commercial success has been due to his reluctance to tour or do much promotion, which is linked to his struggle with anxiety and lack of confidence. Earlier this year Zayn announce ‘The Konnakol Tour’, which was set to be his largest solo tour to date, but following an undisclosed health scare recently, the singer cancelled the entire US leg as well as concerts in the UK and Ireland.
Last night Zayn kicked off the shortened run at The O2 in London, and anticipation was high. Prior to this tour Zayn has done a Las Vegas residency and his ‘Stairway to the Sky tour in 2024-25, but this is his first time headlining arenas. Just after 9pm Zayn arrived on stage opening the night with ‘Nusrat’, the first track on his latest album ‘Konnakol’. Initially he was obscured by video banners that were hanging from the ceiling, but these lifted and fans could get a better look at Zayn and his all-female band. ‘sHe’ from debut album ‘Mind of Mine’ followed before Zayn performed ‘Met Tonight’, from ‘Konnakol’, for the first time live. Fans were going wild, and incredibly Zayn wasn’t wearing in-ears – something he mentioned during the night as he explained that he doesn’t like to wear them.
The set list for the evening encompassed all of Zayn’s solo albums – although ‘Icarus Falls’ was represented only by the soulful ballad ‘Scripted’ and a video segment that included ‘Talk to Me’. The majority of the set list focused on songs from ‘Room Under the Stairs’ and ‘Konnakol’ so the overall vibe of the evening was chilled out, allowing fans to really hear Zayn’s voice and his ability to pull off some impressive runs. Songs such as ‘Birds on a Cloud’ and ‘What I Am’ allowed Zayn to do what he does best – focus on the singing and the vocals, and lose himself in the music. A gorgeous rendition of ‘Pillowtalk’ was a highlight of the night as was the fragile ‘iT’s YoU’, where Zayn showed off his incredible falsetto.
Of the newer tracks, ‘Fatal’ sounded fantastic in the arena and provided one of the more uptempo moments of the night, and ‘Used to the Blues’, a song that Zayn revealed was his favourite on the new album, was atmospheric and majestic. ‘Take Turns’, a song that went viral on release thanks to its suggestive lyrics, was another standout moment with Zayn spitting lyrics at a rapid speed. Zayn brought the night to a close with ‘Die For Me’, the soaring lead single from ‘Konnakol’ that could easily have been a Bond theme. It was an epic end to a night that proved that Zayn can more than back up the hype around him.
Video segments punctuated the night, playing a mix of songs from Zayn’s catalogue and featuring black-and-white visuals that match the ‘Konnakol’ artwork stylistically. At one point his two drummers engaged in a drum battle, which went down well with fans. Throughout the night Zayn spoke to the audience and he was clearly taken aback by the reception he received, frequently dropping f-bombs and sharing his disbelief that his life has taken him to where he is now. For someone who struggles with anxiety to the point that it’s kept him off stage previously, Zayn did really well and he’s clearly worked on being a little more interactive with the audience.
Zayn really showcased his journey as an artist last night and the maturity of his material cements him as one of our brightest stars. He should be the most successful member of One Direction but he seems content to be able to make the music he wants on his own terms. Moving effortlessly from R&B to pop and even folk and Americana, Zayn has impressive versatility and it’s going to be interesting to see where musically he goes next. Regardless of what style of music he’s singing, Zayn always sounds incredible and he’s got one of those voices that you could just listen to all day. Whatever his recent health issue was, it seems like he’s getting back on his feet and I hope that he’s planning to do plenty more touring in the future.
Set list: 1. Nusrat 2. sHe 3. Met Tonight 4. Birds on a Cloud 5. What I Am 6. Alienated 7. Dreamin’ 8. Vibez/Talk To Me/Still Got Time (interlude) 9. Concrete Kisses 10. Gates of Hill 11. BoRdErSz 12. Pillowtalk 13.Lied To 14. Used to the Blues 15. Take Turns 16. Fatal 17. dRuNk 18. iT’s YoU 19. Take Turns/Love Like This/Trampoline (interlude) 20. Scripted 21. Sweat 22. Die For Me Venue: The O2, London Performance date: 23rd May 2026
