3. Room Under the Stairs - Zayn
Zayn's latest album, Room Under the Stairs, explores a fresh start for more intimate look into him as an artist
What defines an artist? The same questions we ask ourselves — what defines you, what makes you YOU? — we ask the same, boundary defining questions to artists. Is it genre? Lyricism? The colors of the music? I have always personally rejected putting anyone, especially myself, into one box. Why confine oneself to the limits of boundaries when there are limitless ways to exist, and make art? Should we confine ourselves to labels? Or lean into the labels that others apply to us and define us outside of ourselves? I come back to this concept and mental question routinely, calling into question what is inherently an existence.
In the music space, we always define an artist based on genre. There has been a debate in recent years, in the age of algorithms and new ways of music interaction, as to whether genre even exists anymore.1 “…genre is not a static, immovable idea but a reflection of an audience’s assumptions and wants at a certain point in time.”2 Recent pop music has been an amalgamation of genres, picking and choosing what rhythms and pieces will come together into a piece to go to the top of the charts. However, at the same time, labels and distributors have to attach genre labels so algorithms know where to promote and how to place songs within charts and playlists. So how do we go about, as the audience, perceiving genre?
When I first heard What I Am, I was pretty taken aback. Since his departure from One Direction, Zayn has exclusively explored music in the R&B-Pop space. Hearing a song that felt Country, Folk, Singer-Songwriter - I don’t think I ever really thought this would be where he would take his sound. While he did test the waters on this genre in the ending tracks in 2021’s Nobody is Listening, perhaps it was an apt album title in that many did not really tune in.
But upon the release of Room Under the Stairs, the vision came full circle. The lyricism, the vocals, the layering and production — all were elements of some of the best of Zayn. Seeing negative takes on the album from long time fans who only sit in their desire for an R&B sound, I began to question why we confine an artist to a genre, specifically a pop artist. In her piece “Genre is Disappearing. What Comes Next?” for the New Yorker, Amanda Petrusich highlights how the pop genre itself “demands” a sort of reinvention, as it would be “humiliating” to regurgitate the same sound for an entire career.
Petrusich also explains a discussion she had on the topic, quoting - “Genre is always a blending of both formal structure and cultural context,” Ehren Pflugfelder, a professor of writing at Oregon State University, told me recently. “This may be the most frustrating thing about genre for those who want it to be stable over time. What makes something country music is often just as much about what the audience for that genre expects it to be as it is the chord progression, instruments, time signature, or lyrical content.”” I resonated with this particular quote when thinking about this album, and how we come to define a genre that has evolved over decades away from its roots.
Sure, lyrically What I Am starts off with a croon of “I been drinkin absinthe,” an alcohol mostly associated with the American South (in the United States) paired with a soulful vocal styling, and visuals that remind you of a back country at twilight. Inherently, Zayn’s audience is mostly South Asians who want to support the arguably most famous pop star the diaspora has had in the west, and fans from the One Direction era who have stood by his side. It would not be farfetched to assume that these audiences, particularly in a day and age where music education and history virtually does not exist in a broader sphere, would barely know the interchanging history of genre his music touches.
I find it interesting the way the discussions around Country music these days never circles back to the ties between R&B, Rock, and ultimately the root genre for all three, Blues. A forgotten history for a genre that modernly exists in the sphere of working class, offensive white music, academics have theorized that Blues and Country would have essentially been the same genre over time had marketing not segregated the genres between races purely to create different audiences3 (again, what the audience expects of it rather than what it is).
Historically, Blues has signature chord progressions, bass lines, and instrumentation that define the genre. Lyrics followed certain poetic patterns but mostly spoke about the melancholy aspects of life (specifically, for African Americans in the South)4. As the genre progressed over decades and new genres formed (Jazz, R&B, Rock and Roll, Country), there was always the root to Blues. Early country artists all had nods to the Blues genre in their music, and greats like Willie Nelson and Tracey Chapman continued to integrate the genre into their work as country music progressed.
This is not meant to be a music history blog/newsletter, but I implore the readers to take some time to explore the roots of these genres, and reframe the thinking of how modern western mainstream music is really all from one root. Blues.
Somehow, Room Under the Stairs feels like a Blues album to me. Not a traditional piece, but one that encompasses the modern genre forms of R&B and Country into a package that pays homage to the Blues roots of these genres. Producer David Cobb spoke of working with Zayn on this album, stating: "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."5 I think this is the key point of this album, and truly what makes it shine.
The album opener, Dreamin’, is truly a masterclass in everything that I consider Zayn to be as an artist. The lyrics, the vocal runs, the groove, all over the acoustic guitar. I don’t even have the words to really say what I feel about this song, besides describing my facial expression of eyes closed and head vibing.
Something in the Water, Grateful, and Shoot at Will all have melody lines that oscillate between genres, but particularly tie back to Zayn’s previous Pop R&B work. The vocal melodies are akin to the works of Kehlani and the way they also tend to meld genres. Something in the Water, specifically, still fits well into the album, providing a little bit of a mood shift while still giving you a different look into the human behind the album.
There are also more straight forward acoustic Country Pop songs (even to say, singer songwriter?) on the record, like Concrete Kisses and Stardust, or even a indie rock song in Gates of Hell. But I don’t know that these take away from the ultimate conclusion for me that this album is rooted in a Blues mindset and vibe, tying back to that space in the overlaps of the genres.
In promoting the album, Zayn mentioned this album took 6 years to come together. For someone who has followed his career since day 1, it also feels like the most organic and most natural album for him. Previous works felt a bit rushed, a bit lost in soul. But every song on this album, you can truly feel the intent behind the songs and the way they came together to make a cohesive body of work. When asked what genre the album is, Zayn stated that the genre is what you make of it. There really is no boundary or label he would put on it himself, but allows the audience to decide for themselves.
Thanks for tuning in.
“Genre is Disappearing. What Comes Next?” Amanda Petrisuch, available at https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/03/15/genre-is-disappearing-what-comes-next.
Id.
Full overview of the genre is available on the best resource website to exist: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blues
“Zayn Teases New Sonic Journey on Next Album Co-Produced With Dave Cobb,” Jon Blistein, https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/zayn-malik-co-produced-new-album-dave-cobb-1234977550/