MiNd Of HiS oWn by Maddy Arthur

March 2015 was one of the worst months for the fans of One Direction, when Zayn Malik decided he wasn’t exactly boy band material. After going through four tours, four albums, multiple awards shows, and almost five years in a band with four other boys he claimed to be “his best friends,” Zayn called it quits and went in his own direction. Zayn was always viewed as the “quiet one” of the group and never expressed his opinion or true self until now. 


Zayn signing his new record deal with RCA Records. The beginning of his journey towards becoming a single artist.

After leaving the boys in late July, he signed onto RCA Records, a music producing company. A few weeks after, his fiancé, Perrie Edwards, dumped him over text. Not appearing too heartbroken, he started to come out of his shell by posting shirtless pictures and selfies on an almost daily basis. Ready to express himself to the world, he began recording music with Naughty Boy, which caused "twitter beef" between Zayn, Louis Tomlinson, and Naughty Boy. After that incident, he found the sound he wanted to share with the world: R&B.

On January 21, 2016, Zayn dropped his new single, PILLOWTALK. Alongside dropping new music, he dropped his last name. Similar to single artists such as Beyoncé, Prince, and Drake, he only goes by "Zayn." He left his audience speechless and in love. Girls who vowed never to listen to his music found themselves singing along to the radio whenever it played. Fans around the globe were waiting for him to release a new music video and more music. And that is just what he did.

 

Zayn’s girlfriend, Gigi Hadid, in the music video, Pillowtalk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_3d6GntKbk

Seven days later Zayn released his music video for PILLOWTALK. His video visually revealed the path he wanted to take. The video showed the adult, dark, and sexual side of Zayn. He represented his version of art through nudity, crying blood, and his new girlfriend, Gigi Hadid. It was his art that majorly impacted the breakout of his album, “bOrDeRz.” Zayn even claimed in One Direction: This is Us in 2013 that he bought his own house because his mother wouldn’t let him paint on the walls. With four other boys trying to make their image, he was oppressed and not able to show people what he stood for. Zayn also states that he left One Direction because it was no longer was about being number one for him, but reaching out to his fans.



Zayn’s album MIND OF MINE released on March 25, 2016.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/mind-of-mine-deluxe-edition/id1087172327

Not long after Pillowtalk was released, Zayn showed us an adorable throwback with his current tattoos as the album cover of MIND OF MINE. In this album, he revealed 18 R&B/Pop song, including 6 explicit songs- One Direction has never released an explicit song before. Most of the songs on the album have a smooth and slow flow to them, capturing the essence of R&B. A few of his song are upbeat and fast, making them lean more towards the pop side of music. He told Fader magazine One Direction music wasn’t his kind of music when he said, “That’s not music that I would listen to. Would you listen to One Direction, sat at a party with your girl? I wouldn’t. To me, that’s not an insult, that’s me as a 22-year-old man. As much as I was in that band, and I loved everything that we did, that’s not music that I would listen to. I don’t think that’s an offensive statement to make. That’s just not who I am.” He said it himself; that wasn’t what he was, wanted to be, or the image he wanted to create. Zayn has shown his true self through MIND OF MINE and has become a man. Each day he receives more and more support from fans that learn his story and his reason for leaving. He is no longer a boy, he is ZAYN.

 For more about Zayn visit http://www.thefader.com/2015/11/17/zayn-malik-fader-cover-story-interview-solo-album-one-direction