It’s part of everybody’s life, a very big part of life. Speaking about his new single with The Sunday Times, Zayn said that "Pillowtalk" was written about sex, which he described as "so pure, so dirty and raw," adding, "everybody has sex, and it’s something people wanna hear about. Zayn wrote the song shortly after leaving the group, in collaboration with co-writers Mike and Anthony Hannides. It is Zayn's debut solo single after he left One Direction in March 2015.
On 24 January 2016, Zayn revealed the release date and promotional cover-art of the lead single "Pillowtalk" through Twitter. Zayn's solo debut album Mind of Mine was released on 25 March 2016. He stated "life experiences have been the influences for the album and just stuff that I've been through, especially in the last five years." He said the record will musically lean towards R&B, but will also have some tunes leaning towards R&B- rock or reggae.
It debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100, making Malik the first British artist to debut at number one in the US with a debut single. It's Zayn's first single released after his departure from One Direction in March 2015. The song was released as the lead single from the album on January 29, 2016, along with its own music video, which features his girlfriend, American model Gigi Hadid. He co-wrote the track with Anthony Hannides, Michael Hannides, Joe Garrett, and its producer Levi Lennox. " Pillowtalk" (stylised in all caps) is the debut solo single by English singer and songwriter Zayn, for his debut solo studio album Mind of Mine.