New father Zayn Malik has reflected on an old love in his laidback latest single Better.

The former One Direction singer welcomed a daughter with US model Gigi Hadid on the weekend, announcing the news via social media.

And he has now returned with smooth R&B track Better, his first solo single since 2018 from the album Icarus Falls.

In the accompanying music video, a topless Malik shows off his heavily tattooed torso while singing about giving an on-off love another chance.

Better will feature on the singer’s as-yet-untitled third album. It caps an eventful week for Malik.

He announced the birth of his daughter with a post on Instagram, sharing a black-and-white picture of the baby’s tiny hand clutching his tattooed finger.

“Our baby girl is here, healthy and beautiful,” the 27-year-old wrote in the caption.

“To try put into words how i am feeling right now would be an impossible task. The love I feel for this tiny human is beyond my understanding.

“Grateful to know her, proud to call her mine, and thankful for the life we will have together x.”

In a separate post to her more than 58 million Instagram followers, Hadid said she is “so in love” with the new arrival.

Bradford-born Malik and Los Angeles-born Hadid, 25, have been dating on and off since late 2015.