Shortly after, Malik's management team reached out to record producer Malay Ho because Zayn was a fan of his work with artists such as John Legend, Alicia Keys and Frank Ocean.

[1] "Befour" is among the tracks they worked together for the album, and was conceived in August 2015, when Malik, Malay, and a group of friends were partying at Drai's, a club overlooking the Las Vegas strip.

As they were watching American rapper Big Sean performing, "[they] were sitting backstage in a VIP area and [Malik] was just telling [Malay], ‘It’s crazy being here in Vegas.

[11][12] "Time for me to move up / So many hours have gone / Heart beats the pump of my blood / No strings for you to pull on / You've got your tongue in your cheek / So pardon if I don't speak," he sings in the song's second verse.

"[15] Brittany Spanos, writing for Rolling Stone praised his falsetto, noting that it "hark[s] back to his memorable contributions to One Direction songs like 'You & I'.

"[6] Robbie Daw of Idolator declared that the song was "easily the best of the bunch, to-date, and it has Zayn coming off as he should at this point: Like a true Pop Star.

"[17] Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine declared that the "production is the star on 'BeFour,' on which Malik's supple falsetto rides a smooth, sleek groove.

"[19] Kate Solomon of Drowned in Sound simply called it a "grower",[20] while Mikael Wood, writing for Los Angeles Times found inspiration on Prince, noting that "it's perceived on "Zayn's falsetto to his stylized renderings of song titles.

"[22] Andrew Unterberger of Spin gave praise to Malay's production on the track, calling it a "highlight", stating: "There’s no reason why 'BeFoUr' — with a tension more palpable and cinematic than anything on Beauty Behind the Madness, and a narrative hook of maybe being about Malik’s old 1D mates — shouldn’t be one of the most vivid pop songs of the year, his 'Cry Me a River' or even his 'How Do You Sleep?'.

[24] The video was directed by Ryan Hope,[25] shot in Manchester's Miles Platting district, and dramatises what Malik's working class teenage life was like in Northern England.