Fans Choose Zayn’s ‘Room Under the Stairs’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music

Zayn‘s Room Under the Stairs tops this week’s new music poll.

Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (May 17) on Billboard, choosing the star’s latest album as their favorite new music release of the past week.

The former One Direction singer’s latest studio album brought in more than 47% of the vote, topping Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft by only 3%. In a week full of fresh tunes across pop, country and hip-hop, poll voters selected Room Under the Stairs over new music releases by Eilish, Saweetie, Luke Combs and A Boogie With da Hoodie.

Recorded at Zayn’s home in rural Pennsylvania and produced by Dave Cobb, Room Under the Stairs is the singer’s fourth solo album and the follow-up to 2021’s Nobody Is Listening. With a shift from pop to R&B mixed with country-rock influence, Zayn’s rootsy new set is led by single “What I Am.”

“I haven’t got a name for the genre,” Zayn said in a recent interview with Zach Sang. “It’s just me,” he noted.

“There’s no specific, strategic plan behind it … It’s just expression. Whatever came out, came out,” he added.

Of today’s sound, Zayn told Nylon, “People are in search of a little bit more depth from the lyrics. In the Top 40 charts, a lot of mainstream music feels a bit wishy-washy. The songs are f—ing fire. You know what I mean? They’re catchy. They’re playing on the radio and they do their job, but people are looking for a little bit more.”

Trailing behind Room Under the Stairs on this week’s poll is Billie Eilish’s new album Hit Me Hard and Soft, with just over 44% of the vote, followed by Saweetie’s “NANi,” Luke Combs’ “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” and A Boogie Wit da Hoodie’s Better Off Alone.

See the final results of this week’s new music poll below.