Zayn Malik’s Toughest Music Critic Is His 5-Year-Old Daughter Khai
Zayn Malik’s toughest critic is in kindergarten: his 5-year-old daughter, Khai. She loves Dad’s tracks and isn’t shy about weighing in — even as he keeps the cuss-heavy, adult-themed cuts off her playlist.
File this under: parenting hacks you do not see coming. Zayn Malik says his toughest music notes right now come from a very honest 5-year-old - his daughter, Khai.
The in-house A&R: Khai
On SiriusXM's The Pulse on Tuesday, March 31, Zayn, 33, explained that Khai listens to a lot of his new material. He skips the tracks with heavy language or grown-up themes, but the rest? She has thoughts. Apparently, she runs a whole rating system: thumbs up, thumbs down, or thumb sideways. A thumbs up plus a sideways thumb means it is pretty good in her book. Some songs on his upcoming album got a full 'double thumbs up.'
'She gave me a double thumbs up for a few songs, and there was like, a side one for one or two, I think, that she wasn’t really into.'
The album in question is called Konnakol, and it is out April 17.
Why there is a Jisoo feature
Khai is deep into K-pop - specifically Twice and Blackpink - and that bled into Zayn's creative choices. He admitted that was a big reason he teamed with Blackpink's Jisoo, 31, on the single 'Eyes Closed,' which dropped in October 2025. He wanted to score some cool-dad points, and, by his account, he did. He says she loves the track, and she is into singing and dancing herself.
Does Khai get the One Direction thing?
Sort of. Zayn says at 5, she knows her dad sings and that he is a pop star, and she will flex that a bit like any kid would. But the full scope of his One Direction era is still kind of abstract to her.
Where Zayn and Gigi stand as parents
Zayn shares Khai with ex Gigi Hadid, 30. They welcomed her in September 2020 and split in 2021 after about six years together. They keep things coordinated on the parenting front: Gigi told Vogue in March 2025 that they map out custody months ahead. Schedules still shift, but they back each other up and keep most of their story private. The priority is raising their daughter together, with respect for each other - not just as coparents, but as people who have been through a lot together.
- Zayn on SiriusXM's The Pulse: Tuesday, March 31
- Album: Konnakol - out April 17
- Khai's verdict: multiple double thumbs up, a few sideways
- Collab: 'Eyes Closed' with Blackpink's Jisoo (31) - released October 2025
- Khai's faves: Twice and Blackpink
- Family snapshot: Zayn (33) and Gigi Hadid (30) share daughter Khai (5); together 6 years, split in 2021; co-parenting amicably since