Fans' delight as Zayn Malik releases debut single online

Zayn Malik's debut solo single Pillowtalk has been released for sale online.

The former One Direction star tweeted a link to the download and the accompanying video after it was played on some US radio stations.

It appears to mark a departure from the clean brand of pop produced by his former band, with the song featuring several expletives.

The music video sees a blond Malik, 23, kissing model Gigi Hadid.

Some of his fans on Twitter reacted with delight.

Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton tweeted: "I'm into the Zayn song!!"

Em Hariss, from Oregon in the US, tweeted: "To be honest, I have never heard just zaynmalik 's voice before. This was a very pleasant surprise."

Singer Brandon Evans said: "I actually really like PillowTalk. It's exactly what I expected from Zayn."

The launch of his solo career follows his sudden departure from One Direction early last year.

Ahead of the single's release, Malik revealed he did not want to be in the boy band from very early on.

Malik spent four years with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne in the band which was put together on ITV's The X Factor.

But he told DJ Zane Lowe: "I think I kind of always wanted to go.

"I just gave it a go because it was there at the time. I think I kind of always wanted to go. From the first year, I never really wanted to be there in the band."

Malik's first album is due out in March.