Zayn stopped by The Tonight Show to showcase his recent song, “Alienated.” The appearance marked the musician’s first television performance in eight years and saw Zayn singing to an empty theater alongside his live band, rather than in the late-night show’s New York studio.

“Alienated” comes off Zayn’s new LP, Room Under the Stairs, which dropped last week. The musician previously released a live performance video of the track shot in a recording studio to preview the album, revealing the LP’s acoustic vibe.

Room Under the Stairs was co-produced by Dave Cobb and was written over the course of several years at Malik’s home in rural Pennsylvania. It marks Malik’s first album with his new label Mercury Records.

Zayn has been vocal about the writing process of the LP, noting that it is “my favorite album that I’ve made to date, mainly because it comes from a place of sheer honesty and vulnerability.” He added, “I wanted each song to feel as if it was just me sitting beside you telling you how I feel, singing directly to you. It’s raw and stripped back and the type of music I always hoped to make.”

Leading up to the album’s release, the former One Direction member unveiled single “What I Am” and an ethereal music video for “Stardust,” which was directed by Frank and Ivanna Borin and sees Zayn as a celestial being trapped on Earth, guided by falling stars as he explores a magic-tinged lake and a forest.

Malik’s last album, Nobody Is Listening, was released in 2021. Since then, he’s shared a couple of scattered singles, including “To Begin Again” with Ingrid Michaelson, a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Angel,” and last year’s “Love Like This.” In January, he collaborated with the up-and-coming Pakistani group Aur on a reimagining of their hit single, “Tu Hai Kahan.”