Zayn Malik got his first fans after participating in the British vocal competition The X Factor in 2010. And then the whole world learned about the young singer when he began performing in the pop group One Direction - one of the most successful musical groups of our time. Today, Zane is successfully developing a solo career and regularly enters the ratings of the sexiest men in the world.
Biography: family and early years
Zayn Jawadd Malik is half Pakistani, although he was born and raised in Bradford, England. He was born on January 12, 1993 in the family of Yasser Malik and Trisha Brannan. The singer's mother is an Englishwoman with Irish roots, and her father came to the UK from Pakistan. For her husband's sake, Trisha converted to Islam and raised her children in accordance with this faith. Zane has one older and two younger sisters.
The future singer grew up in the working-class East Bowling area, home to many Pakistani immigrants. His family roamed in rented apartments, as they did not have the opportunity to purchase their own housing. Trisha Malik worked as a cook in a primary school for Muslim children. When Zane became famous, the first thing he did was bought his parents a house and persuaded his mother to leave work, promising her financial support.
The formation of Malik's musical style was influenced by the songs of Asher, Prince, Robert Kelly, Nusrat Ali Khan, Chris Brown. The genres closest to him, which found a continuation in the singer's solo work:
- hi-hop;
- reggae;
- R & B;
- bop;
- Bollywood music.
Zane received his elementary education at the Lower Fields Primary, then transferred to Tong High School in Bradford, but suspended his studies due to participation in The X Factor. Teachers and classmates called him the star of all school productions, captivating the audience with her performing talent. Much later, singing experts will call Malik the strongest vocalist of the One Direction group.
And once the singer Jay Sean came to school, and Zane went on stage with him. As a teenager, he began writing his first rap songs. Also, the guy did not forget about physical development, for which he regularly attended the boxing section. In addition to music, he considered teaching English as a future profession.
Creativity: the path to success and world fame
In 2010, Zane went to audition for the seventh season of the hit show The X Factor. The singer's mother recalled that in the morning before the casting, he slept and was already ready to give up this venture. However, he succumbed to the persuasion of his relatives and still went. Before the authoritative jury, the guy performed the hit Let Me Love You by American singer Mario. The judges were pleased, and Malik received a pass to the show.
He did not manage to reach the final. However, the judges suggested that five participants continue to fight as part of a musical group. This is how Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zane Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan formed the One Direction boy band. According to the results of the show The X Factor, the vocal group took third place.
Soon the young musicians signed a contract with Syco Music and Columbia Records and began work on their debut album. As part of One Direction, Zayn Malik took part in the recording of four studio records:
- Up All Night (2011);
- Take Me Home (2012);
- Midnight Memories (2013);
- Four (2014).
One Direction is recognized as one of the most commercially successful bands in the world. Their first three albums invariably debuted at the top of the Billboard 200. No other band has ever achieved such enviable consistency. Sales of One Direction records worldwide exceeded 50 million copies in just four years. However, fatigue, creative differences and thoughts of a solo career pushed Zane to leave the group. He announced this on March 25, 2015.
Solo career
Already in July, Malik signed a contract with RCA Records, and at the beginning of 2016 the singer's debut single Pillowtalk was released. The song took off at # 1 on the UK and US charts. Thus, Zane became the first English singer to achieve the highest success on the Billboard Hot 100 with his debut single. In the video for the song Pillowtalk, he starred with his girlfriend, model Gigi Hadid.
In March 2016, the singer presented the album Mind of Mine to the audience; he wrote most of the songs on his own or in collaboration with professionals. Malik's debut studio work was a combination of several musical genres with a predominance of R & B. Critics noted the calm, even, smooth sound of the album, in which the songs seemed to flow into one another. Zane's vocals and a new musical direction, which he chose after leaving One Direction, received positive reviews.
Album Mind of Mine took first lines in the charts in the USA, Australia, UK, Canada, Sweden and many other countries. In support of his work, the singer performed at the Tonight Show and the iHeartRadio Music Awards.
At the end of 2016, Malik, together with singer Taylor Swift, recorded the single I Don’t Wanna Live Forever, included in the soundtrack to the film Fifty Shades Darker.
On March 24, 2017, the musician released the single Still Got Time, which he recorded with the participation of Canadian rapper PartyNextDoor. This recording was to be part of Malik's second solo album. Sia performed the female part on the second single, Dusk Till Down, released on September 7, 2017. On the same day, a video appeared on the Internet featuring Zane and actress Jemima Kirk, inspired by the films "Casino" and "Goodfellas." By the end of 2018, this video had amassed over a billion views on YouTube.
Dusk Till Down topped the charts in seven countries. However, it received conflicting reviews. Some critics predicted the song a Grammy nomination, while others called the duet of Zane and Sia boring and predictable. Malik's second solo album Icarus Falls was released on December 14, 2018.
Personal life
In 2015, British radio Capital FM declared Zayn the Sexiest Man in Pop. Since then, he has been regularly included in such ratings by leading magazines and music channels. It is obvious that such a handsome man with the image of a "bad guy" is literally bathed in female attention. However, Malik prefers a strong long-term relationship to casual affairs.
While participating in The X Factor, Zane met singer Perry Edwards. They started dating in 2012 and got engaged in August 2013. However, two years later, the singer's representative announced the couple's separation.
With Gigi Hadid
At the end of 2015, Malik had an affair with top model Gigi Hadid. She, like the musician, has Pakistani roots, although she was born in the United States. Gigi starred in Zane's music video for the song Pillowtalk, together they appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine in August 2017. In addition, the couple advertised the Versus fashion line of the Versace brand. In March 2018, the lovers announced their separation, but in June they decided to give their relationship a second chance. Unfortunately, at the end of 2018, Gigi and Zane upset their fans with another breakup.
