Nobody Is Listening is the third album by the English singer and songwriter, Zayn. It can be found on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music. It was released on January 15th, 2021, and before that day, he had released two singles to support the project.
The album has eleven tracks (including the two previous singles), and it plays with various genres and vocals, which make the album unique and incredible. Each song is intimate and tells its own story, and Zayn’s vocals are unique in each song.
The first and most interesting track on the album is “Calamity”. The song creates the sense of anxiety and overthinking that the subject is feeling. He sings about being “in timеs like a prison state.” This line shows an inability to see things on a surface-level, and instead these thoughts feel like a prison sentence. In the chorus of the song, Zayn repeats the title of the album: “Nobody is listening,” which emphasizes that no one is really hearing what he has to say. In this song, you can hear his British accent very clearly, which gives the song a unique effect.
“Better” is the album’s second track, as well as one out of the two singles that Zayn dropped in 2020, before the release of the album. It debuted at #89 on the Billboard Hot 100. This song discusses second chances. “Why wait to hate? Can we save love?” Zayn wonders. This lyric is asking the other person if it’s worth trying to save the relationship.
The next track,“Outside”, has a calm melody. The meaning of the lyrics are similar to those in “Better”, because they also talk about second chances. It focuses on a possible reconciliation after all the problems that they’ve had in the past. Zayn pleads, “Leave my life outside. Or let me in”. He is asking his partner if he has to leave or if they are accepting him in their life again.
“Un****witable” is one of the best songs on the album. It’s about independence, and as the title suggests you can’t mess with Zayn. “Yeah, I’m worth my weight in gold” is one of the best lyrics in the song. It affirms the value of knowing your self-worth and self-respect. The song shows how Zayne is not controlled by anyone, and he can be free creatively.
“Tightrope”, as the 10th track of the album, is very unique, and it stands out because he sings in the South Asian language Urdu in the post-chorus. The melody of the song is incredible and it really fits with the lyrics. The song is basically talking about how he feels “like I’m walkin’ a tightrope”. He is stating how he feels as though his partner is testing how much he is willing to do for the relationship. In the pre-chorus, he suggests that he is ready to sacrifice everything for his partner, which basically sums up the whole song.
“River Road” is the last track on the album. This song is incredible, and the vocals and melodies are amazing. The song describes how Zayn feels after being let down in a relationship. In the lyrics, he refers to his lover as his “pillar”, but after being let down, he doesn’t have his lover to rely on anymore.
Overall, Nobody Is Listening is great, because it incorporates various genres, and the melodies and vocals are different in each song. The album portrays different themes, from sadness to knowing your self-worth. You should definitely check out this album, because it is simply incredible. Every track makes you feel something different, the music and his voice complement each other perfectly.
If you enjoy this album you should also check out Zayn’s previous album Mind Of Mine and Heartbreak Weather by Niall Horan.
