It was released on 12 April 2024 through Mercury and Republic Records as the second single from his fourth studio album, Room Under the Stairs.

According to Zayn, via X, "'Alienated' was the first song I wrote for the album, so it kind of set the tone for the whole project - it shaped the way I wanted to approach the sound of my own voice, the styling of the guitars and the overall sonic direction.

"[2] He revealed on social media that he wrote the song six years ago.

"[1] He also stated that it was his favourite off the album as it "comes from a place of sheer honesty and vulnerability.

[1] Speaking about the sound, he stated "you can't really put them in a genre," as he noted that the song was "influenced by other music."