South Korean singer Jisoo of K-pop girl group Blackpink will be collaborating with English singer-songwriter Zayn Malik on her upcoming single, Eyes Closed.
Jisoo, 30, disclosed the news via a poster on social media on Oct 8, writing: “Jisoo x Zayn. Digital single, Eyes Closed.”
She had unveiled on Oct 6 a teaser hinting at the release of a surprise track. The image, posted on Instagram, featured a silhouette of her then mystery collaborator in the background.
She uploaded another teaser on Oct 7, showing her standing in the foreground with a male figure with his back turned behind her.
“Jisoo is releasing a new ballad duet with Zayn, sometime this month,” an industry source told South Korean newspaper The Korea Herald on Oct 5.
The source did not provide further details about the collaboration, but hinted that Malik, 32, might have been invited to Blackpink’s recent concert in New York for a reason.
The former member of British boy band One Direction was spotted attending the girl group’s New York concert on July 27 with his five-year-old daughter Khai, whom he shares with his former girlfriend, American model Gigi Hadid, 30.
Shortly after the concert, he posted a photo on Instagram showing himself in the crowd holding Khai, both raising their hands in the air. It was captioned: “@Blackpinkofficial Thank you:) Me & Khai loved it.”
Jisoo is midway through Blackpink’s world tour Deadline, which began in Seoul in July.
She is taking a short break following the London shows on Aug 15 and 16. Blackpink is scheduled to resume the tour in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Oct 18. The group will be performing in Singapore from Nov 28 to 30.
Eyes Closed will be Jisoo’s first music release since her solo EP Amortage, released in February, which included the tracks Earthquake and Your Love.
Malik rose to global fame as part of One Direction, one of the world’s best-selling boy bands. He left the group in 2015 and has since pursued a solo career. – The Korea Herald/Asia News Network
