ZAYN on the Brain
From One Direction to one of music’s hottest
In 2015, Zayn Malik rocked the pop music world by quitting the boy band One Direction to pursue a solo career. Speculation about why has been widespread ever since, with fans theorizing his reasons could’ve been simply artistic differences as claimed, or perhaps something more complicated.
But from the ashes of the drama, Malik, who now performs under the mononym ZAYN, has emerged as a successful solo artist eager to prove he isn’t a boy in a boy band anymore. For the past four years, ZAYN has carefully cultivated his mysterious bad boy image, giving both his music and his persona an alluring sexiness.
ZAYN’s debut solo album Mind of Mine was released exactly a year to the day after he publicly left 1D. The 18-track record included hits like “PILLOWTALK,” a slow and sexy ode to intimacy. Many of the album’s best tracks like “dRuNk” and “BoRdErSz” stick to that similar sultry R&B style and seductive tone.
His latest work has kept to similar themes and styles. In December, ZAYN released his second album Icarus Falls, a whopping 27-track record with only two features. It’s a clear demonstration of ZAYN’s continued love for R&B but also his eagerness to explore hip hop. The album’s lead track “Let Me” is a sweet and sensual love song with a retro feel and an equally enticing music video.
For his latest release, ZAYN teamed up with Zhavia Ward to cover the classic Disney love song “A Whole New World” for the upcoming live-action rendition of Aladdin. The two’s vocal chemistry keeps the touching nostalgia of the childhood favorite while giving it a new maturity, both in its tone and visual representation in the accompanying music video.
Whatever ZAYN chooses to explore artistically in the future, we can surely bet it will arouse something in us all.
