Pop Corner: ‘Cold Water’ is hot and Zayn Malik on new directions

Dan from Bastille talks back catalogues and Halsey opens up about mental health

Zayn Malik, formerly of One Direction: “I always strive towards something better.” Photograph: Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images

Track of the week: Cold Water by Major Lazer feat Justin Bieber and MO Here in Pop Corner Towers we have a litmus test for calling something "the song of the summer". Here it is: could the track easily be translated into Irish and be accompanied by an acoustic guitar at a Gaeltacht talent show? We're pleased to say that Cold Water passes this test with flying colours. With a touch of tropical house, a soulful middle eight and a baseline sentiment of "I'm your friend, I will be there for you", it's a chill banger and one you soon won't be able to escape.

Hero of the week is Dan from Bastille. He told the Evening Standard: "Something that comes with having a hit is that you exist in a space where a massive amount of people only know you for one thing." But it wasn't all bad, he said: he wants to introduce new fans to the back catalogue. "I want it to be as rewarding as possible for the people who want to engage with all the other stuff – the mixtapes, the videos, the artwork – there are loads of layers. For some people we're just a song they heard on the radio, but for others there are all these weird little worlds we've created."

In other news, Zayn has opened up to Elle magazine about why he left One Direction. "At that time in my life I felt I had done everything I could do there and I just needed to change it up. It didn't feel brave. I just don't have it in me to feel fully secure in anything I do. I always strive towards something better."

Zero of the week is having to battle against mental health stigma, singer Halsey told Rolling Stone . The singer opened up: "When I die, I hope people don't come to my grave and spray-paint it with all the mean shit they tweet me right now." She went on: "The funniest thing is that the biggest battle that I've had to overcome in my career was not being bisexual, was not being biracial, was not being bipolar. It was everybody thinking that I was exploiting those things."