Cruel

Album: Single release only (2016)
Charted: 33
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Songfacts®:

  • The Snakehips duo of Oliver Lee and James Carter hired Zayn Malik to provide the vocals for this moody dance track. The pair had been working on "Cruel" with their writing partner Cass Lowe in London and had heard Malik was interested in collaborating with them.

    Snakehips sent the idea over to Malik and the former One Direction star sent back a cut of the track to them with his vocals. "He wound up smashing it," Lee told The Guardian. "When it came back it sounded perfect, he wound up adding some really cool stuff. It's funny – I still don't know exactly what it'd be like to work in the studio with Zayn because it all happened so quickly."
  • Zayn Malik sings here about a girl who gives him hope in an ugly world.

    It's such a cruel world
    Savin' all my love for you, girl
    It's such a cruel world
    Maybe I found somethin' good, girl


    Malik believes his relationship with this girl could be a source of happiness for him amidst all the darkness in this world.

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