‘Ridiculously good for vocal cords’: British singer Zayn Malik carries Pei Pa Koa everywhere he goes

The pinkish-red box Zayn Malik pulled out from his bag was unmistakable.

It was a bottle of Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa Cough Syrup, better known as pi pa gao to many Singaporeans, a popular Chinese herbal syrup for sore throats and coughs.

The British singer and former One Direction member revealed in a YouTube video posted by British Vogue on June 5 that it is an essential item in his Fendi duffel bag.

The 31-year-old, who released his fourth studio album Room Under The Stairs on May 17, called it “honey from China that is ridiculously good for your vocal cords”.

“I call it my special elixir. I take this everywhere I go, especially if I’m singing,” he said, explaining that he mixes the syrup with a bit of water before drinking it.

Other items in the singer-songwriter’s bag included a Manchester United teddy bear for his daughter Khai, toothbrush and toothpaste, his go-to cologne and Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet.

“I like to read poetry quite a bit because I feel like it refines the mind,” said Malik. “Being a writer, I think it’s very fitting always to read different things, just to improve my own intellect.”

Malik co-parents three-year-old Khai with American model Gigi Hadid, whom he dated on and off since 2015. They officially split in October 2021.

He is not the first musician who has touted the benefits of the herbal remedy.

American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz told The Straits Times in 2014 that he would make himself a cup of mint tea “with a very delicious syrup called Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa” as part of his pre-show ritual.