Blackpink’s Jisoo is cooking up something special for fans — and she appears to be bringing a major pop star along for the ride.
The K-pop sensation dropped a cryptic teaser on social media hinting at an upcoming surprise single, featuring a shadowy silhouette that suggests the track will be a duet. While the mystery collaborator’s identity remains under wraps, a report in The Korea Herald suggests that Jisoo is teaming up with none other than Zayn Malik, the British heartthrob who made his name with chart-topping boy band One Direction.
“Jisoo is releasing a new ballad duet with Zayn, sometime in this month,” a source told The Korea Herald.
In the teaser images released on Instagram, Jisoo strikes a pose in the foreground while a male figure stands with his back turned, his features obscured but bearing a resemblance to the “Pillowtalk” singer. The images suggest that the single will be titled “Eyes Closed.” “Two voices, one orbit. Coming soon,” Jisoo wrote in the caption. While Jisoo does not name Malik, the tattoo on the back of the mystery singer’s head looks similar to one that the former One Direction member sports.
The potential collaboration could have been months in the making. In July, Malik was spotted catching Blackpink’s show at New York’s MetLife Stadium with his daughter Khai in tow. The former boybander later took to Instagram to share a snap from the concert, showing father and daughter with their hands raised in the crowd. “@BLACKPINKOFFICIAL THANK YOU 🙂 ME & KHAI LOVED IT,” he captioned the post.
The timing works out: Jisoo is currently taking a breather from Blackpink’s “Deadline” world tour, which kicked off in Seoul in July. After wrapping shows at London’s O2 Arena on Aug. 15-16, the group is gearing up to resume the tour in Kaohsiung, Taiwan on Oct. 18.
The upcoming single would mark Jisoo’s first new music since dropping her solo EP “Amortage” in February. That project showcased her vocals across four tracks: “Earthquake,” “Your Love,” “Tears” and “Hugs & Kisses.”
As for Malik, the singer famously exited One Direction — one of the best-selling boy bands in history — in 2015, launching a successful solo career that’s seen him explore R&B and alternative pop sounds far removed from his 1D days.
Variety has reached out to Jisoo’s label YG Entertainment and Malik’s publicists. Neither have confirmed the collaboration at the time of going to print, but fans are already buzzing about the pairing of K-pop royalty and British pop aristocracy.