Zayn Malik

Biography of Zayn Malik

Zain Javadd «Zayn» Malik is a pop singer, songwriter, model, former member of the English-Irish boy band One Direction.

ZAYN (Zayn Malik) is a former member of One Direction

Since 2015, he is pursuing a music career as a solo artist. His debut studio album «Mind of Mine» released in 2016 and took the leading position in the world charts. He became the first British singer who appeared on the top of the American Billboard 200 and the UK Album chart.

Childhood

Zayn was born on January 12, 1993, in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. His mother, Tricia Malik, is English who converted to Islam upon marriage. She was working as a halal chef at a local elementary school. His father, Yaser Malik, is of Pakistani descent and works as an employee. His parents raised him alongside three sisters.

Zayn Malik in his childhood

Parents strictly controlled the religious education of his son - he diligently attended the mosque and read the Koran. He attended elementary school up to 11 years, where he experienced difficulties in communicating with peers because of nationality. Then he studied in high school, actively participated in school productions, engaged in boxing from 15 to 17 years, and was going to become an English teacher in the future.

One Direction Members: Then & Now

As a teenager, Zayn enjoyed listening to R&B, reggae, and hip-hop and began to write raps. He told in one of his interviews that he even appeared on stage with the singer John Sean when he visited their school.

Career

In 2010, Zayn went to Manchester to cast a song contest X-Factor. He sang the popular song «Let Me Love You» from the 2004 album «Turning Point» of American R'n'B singer Mario for his audition. All three judges - Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, and Nicole Scherzinger said: 'yes', positively appreciating his performance.

Zayn Malik - Let Me Love You (X-Factor audition)

At first, he auditioned as a solo artist, but he had dropped out of the competition at boot camp. However, he was invited to continue the fight in the group: in addition to Zayn, it included Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, and Niall Horan. Subsequently, the band was called One Direction.

Zayn Malik as a member of One Direction

Zayn and other band musicians have won the hearts of millions of fans with their bright personality and quality of performance of the famous hits from the repertoire of Snow Patrol, Rihanna, Pink, The Beatles. In the finals, talented guys took third place and signed a contract for cooperation with Syco Records. The show was the first step to their great success among the youth audience.

Zayn Malik's tattoos – a small part of them

In 2011, the first studio album «Up All Night» was released. The album has been topping music charts in 16 countries all over the world. The single «What Makes You Beautiful» became very popular and forced the fans to cry with delight, which subsequently won the Brit Awards-2012 (the British version of Grammy).

The musicians made a world tour: they traveled around Britain, New Zealand, North America, and Australia. The hall was always full of the performances of the young and talented band. A year later, the next album, «Take Me Home», topped the charts in 35 countries, including Britain, France, Spain, and Australia. The album's lead single «Live While We’re Young», has reached the top of the iTunes chart in 40 countries and was described as «pop perfection».

One Direction – What Makes Me Beautiful

New stars of show business gave a concert in New York's Madison Square Garden. Then they made another world tour, which included more than one hundred performances that have been held with unchanged success.

Zayn Malik was praised as a «fashion icon»

In 2013, the release of the third album «Midnight Memories» was number one on the most prestigious US Billboard 200. They set another record, became the first-ever British music band whose three albums debuted atop the Billboard 200.

The third concert tour of the boyband took place in a number of cities in Colombia, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Scotland, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and other countries. It finished in the US and brought musicians in a total of more than $ 280 million. Their fourth album «Four», like the previous ones, was the leader on the American chart.

Solo Career

In March 2015, Zayn left the band. One of the reasons for his exit from the group was the singer's inability to express himself in music the way he would have liked in One Direction. The band performed in the genre of pop-rock, but he preferred to do emphasis on R&B in his work.

Zayn Malik left One Direction because of creative differences

As a solo artist, he began collaborating with RCA Records. In 2016, he released his first studio album «Mind of Mine». It became number one in many world charts, including the US Billboard.

Zayn – BeForUr

The lead single «Pillowtalk» («Intimate Talk») has topped on iTunes in 90 countries around the world. For the first four days after the release, it has been listened to more than 13 million times. The song debuted at number one in the Billboard Hot 100, which made the singer the third British performer who hit his peak (after Adele with the song «Hello» and Elton John with the song «Candle in the Wind 1997», dedicated to Princess Diana). A music video was recorded with the participation of the singer's friend, the American model, and TV host Gigi Hadid.

Zayn Malik – Pillowtalk

In 2016, he won a lot of awards: MuchMusic Video Award in the category «iHeartRadio International Artist of the Year», MTV Video Music Award for «Best Visual Effects», Teen Choice Award in the nomination «Choice Music: Breakout Artist», MuchMusic Video Award for «Most Buzzworthy International Artist or Group».

Zayn Malik – MTV Star

In the same year, due to health problems (anxiety disorder), he canceled his performance at the Summertime Ball mini-music festival, conducted by the British radio station Capital FM, apologizing to the fans. For the same reason, his concert scheduled for October 11 in Dubai didn’t take place.

He was collaborating with musicians - participated in the release of «Cruel» by electro-R&B duo Snakehips, in the creation of the single «Freedum» by British rapper M.I.A. In August, the men's magazine GQ issued an interview with the star and his exclusive photoshoot. In December, the single «I Do not Wanna Live Forever», the soundtrack of «Fifty Shades Darker», was released and performed by Zayn together with the famous singer Taylor Swift. It took second place on the Billboard Hot 100.

n January 2017, a single «I Do not Wanna Live Forever», for the soundtrack of «Fifty Shades Darker», was released by Zayn and Taylor Swift. This music video shows how Zayn and Taylor are throwing objects across their hotel rooms. It reached hundreds of millions of views by March. He also released the single «Still Got Time» together with the Canadian rapper PARTYNEXTDOOR, which became the 20th hit in the world.

Zayn and Taylor Swift – I Don't Wanna Live Forever

In the same period, he presented a collection of shoes Giuseppe x Zayn, created by the singer in partnership with footwear designer Giuseppe Zanotti. The creator of the brand praised Zayn as a «fashion icon» and the style of the new collection he was described as «an easy coolness with the right amount of modern rebel». In June, the pop star was making his fashion design debut in collaboration with Versace titled «Zayn x Versus», which included sweatshirts, T-shirts, baseball caps, bombers, parkas, and all unisex clothing.

Zayn Malik created his shoe collection

It may be mentioned here about a little incident. In an interview with American Vogue, the singer and his girlfriend Gigi talked about borrowing each other's clothes. As a result, they were called as «gender fluid» because they wear unisex clothing. After a number of criticisms on the web regarding the incorrectness of identifying the couple with embracing gender fluidity, the magazine has apologized to them with the promise to continue to show greater caution when covering the topic.

Zayn Malik and his girlfriend on the cover of Vogue (2017)

In 2017, the performer won the Brit Awards in the nominations «British Single of the Year», «British Video», People's Choice Awards for «Favorite Song», iHeartRadio Music Award for «Best Music Video», MuchMusic Video Award for «Most Buzzworthy International Artist or Group».

Personal life of Zayn Malik

During his participation in the «X-factor», the 17-year-old singer had romantic relations with contestants: first with 20-year-old Geneva Lane, then with 23-year-old Rebecca Ferguson. Since 2012, he had an affair with Perrie Edwards. A year later they announced their engagement, but they broke up in the summer of 2015.

Zayn Malik is selective when choosing girlfriends

In November 2015, he met supermodel Gigi Hadid at the birthday party of the model Kendall Jenner. Shortly, they declared themselves a couple. In December 2016, Zayn has proposed to Gigi, but she refused him. However, they have been together during 2017 and still calling themselves a couple. They split up a few times but always forgave each other.

Zayn Malik and his model girlfriend Gigi Hadid

The young man is a Muslim. He admitted that he smokes, but wants to get rid of this bad habit. As it turned out, he likes to cook, even makes pies.

Zayn Malik against Islamophobia

There were rumors in the press about his intimate relations with One Direction bandmate, Liam Payne. Liam is the only member of the group with whom Zayn continued to communicate after leaving the band.

Zayn Malik and Liam Payne have shared a kiss

In 2014, Malik was included in the list of the «Most Stylish Men of the Year» according to the British GQ. A year later, he was named «The Sexiest Male in Pop Music» by Capital FM. In 2016, he was ranked 5th place on Glamour magazine’s «100 Sexiest Men» list.

Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid for Vogue (2016)

Zayn Malik Now

In November 2018 Zayn released the second solo studio album 'Icarus Falls'. It is a concept album based on Ancient Greece mythology. It consists of two parts, including 13 (14 in Japanese edition) and 14 tracks (15 in Japanese edition).

Zayn Malik – Let Me

He had a feature with Nicki Minaj ('"No Candle No Light'), Timbaland ('Too Much'), Sia ('Dusk Till Dawn')

Juan Bush

Recently I`ve discovered Zayn Malik and I like to listen his songs when I`m in traffic. Dynamic, bright musician with nice voice. I think he will continuing sing and I wish him all the best.

2021-04-18 15:35:19
Glenn Price

After all it`s strange to see the guy with raised in religion what Zayn Malik had and now he is on the stage and full of tattoos. It`s not the right image for the guy singing r`n`b.

2021-04-07 18:39:00
Jacqueline Flores

I know him only like a boyfriend of Gigi Hadid :) They looks cute on the pictures. And I never followed his carrer. Well, nice brown guy.

2021-03-24 22:52:52
Tanya Collins

Incredible beautiful and sad eyes of Zayn Malik, however as his songs, also romantic and a little bit sad. But he also have some rhythmic songs.

2021-03-14 11:49:16
William White

I like songs of One Direction, the voice of Zayn Malik is perfect but his frutti appearance is repulsive.

2021-02-28 11:48:29
zen

great! now you can prove that you can be more what they expected bfore... fighting!!!

2018-11-21 06:28:57

Photos: Zayn Malik