Little Mix’s single ‘Shout Out To My Ex’ can’t have been an easy listen for Zayn Malik, given it was the first song his ex-fiancée Perrie Edwards co-wrote after their split, but things could have been a lot worse.
The group topped the UK singles chart with the track last month, with lyrics including “heard he in love with some other chick... I hope she gettin’ better sex, hope she ain’t faking it like I did”.
And if you thought that was harsh, wait until you hear the lyrics they decided not to include, which allude more clearly to Zayn’s new girlfriend, supermodel Gigi Hadid.
According to News Au, the line originally read: “Heard he been fucking some model chick, yeah that shit hurt I’ll admit, but fuck that boy I’m over it.”
Addressing the decision to change the lyric, Perrie admitted: “We had to make it clean. We didn’t want to have the parental advisory sticker on our albums and singles.
She also joked: “But it does feel good to swear, doesn’t it?”
Despite ‘Shout Out To My Ex’ eventually ditching its more explicit lyrics, it did still prove to be controversial, both for its resemblance to the G.R.L. track ‘Ugly Heart’ and its accompanying ‘X Factor’ performance, which some suggested was inappropriate for a family show.
Speaking ahead of the song’s release in October, Perrie admitted that she hadn’t consulted Zayn for his approval, with bandmate Jesy Nelson chiming in that he “doesn’t deserve” a heads-up.
