One Direction star Zayn Malik is to feature on Naughty Boy’s second studio album.

The pair have been teasing their studio sessions for months on Twitter, with the producer now confirming to The Sun that the 1D hunk has offered his vocals for a new track.

He told the tabloid: “I can’t deny the fact that we have made music together.

[related]That’s music we’ve made for One Direction and also that Zayn is going to feature on my next album.”

He continued: “We’re making music and having fun. This is just like a side gig and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.

“It’s a good time for Zayn to showcase what he can really do. I don’t think that is being fully exploited with the band because there are five people and it needs to be balanced out."

The news comes after 1D boss Simon Cowell urged the lads to stay together, with Naughty Boy - real name Shahid Khan - insisting that SiCo is a fan of their collaboration.

He claimed: “Simon’s very happy with the song and supports the whole thing.

“I think mine and Zayn’s relationship is better because of our relationship with Simon. We went to his house a couple of weeks ago and just had a couple of drinks and chilled out…”

He went on: “I know Simon loves every one of them and wants them to stay together. I still think there’s nothing wrong with trying different things.

“They are all experimenting and dabbling but I think the band will be together for the next 20 years.”

Here’s hoping...