Ayra Starr has opened up about her collaboration with former One Direction member Zayn Malik, describing it as the fulfilment of a childhood dream.

The singer featured Malik on “Heaven Baby,” a track on her third studio album, Starrgirl.

Speaking about the collaboration, Ayra Starr recalled how she grew up listening to One Direction and writing the group’s lyrics in her school notebook.

She said she sometimes got into trouble at school for writing the lyrics instead of concentrating on her schoolwork.

“Your dreams might seem so far away, but you just have to work towards it. Being able to have a song with someone like Zayn Malik is something I dreamt about, and it felt so far away. Like, I did a music video with Zayn Malik and he was there in person,” she said.

She said the experience felt surreal, joking that she greeted Malik as though they had known each other for years.