Artist Spotlight [Zayn Malik] [3.25.16]

Gabriel Gutierrez

Bad Boy Zayn Malik Going His Own Direction!Zayn Malik initially auditioned on the British television series X-factor as a solo artist. When he didn’t make it to the final round he came back to join a group now known as One-Direction. The members of the band include Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson. They later became worldwide sensations selling out arenas and releasing four studio albums. Some of these albums include “Up All Night” and “Midnight Memories.” Their lead single “That’s What Makes You Beautiful” reached number one in the U.K and the U.S. It was certified six times platinum in America and four times in Australia. Although One-Direction has made headlines and topped Billboard charts, Zayn Never wanted to be a part of the band.

The bad boy Zayn Malik wasn’t always so bad. While he attended Tong High School he didn’t really fit in. He is a mix of Pakistani and English Heritage. During his time as a student he was involved in performing arts courses and school productions. Jay Sean visited his school and Zayn performed on stage for the first time ever with him. Growing up, Zayn was inspired by his father’s records. He was influenced by a mix of R&B, Reggae, and Bollywood music. Starting his solo career he incorporates these sounds in his new album “Mind Of Mine.”

The highly anticipated album became available on March 25, 2016. The album is described as being downtempoelectronic. Zayn appeared on the Jimmy Fallon show to perform his new single “Like I Do.” He will appear on Elvis Duran for more details about his solo success. The pre released single “Pillow Talk” has debuted number one in the United States and The United Kingdom. Zayn is known to be the strongest singer of the group having the widest vocal range so it wasn’t hard for him to break away on his own. Now as a solo artist he took on the “Bradford bad boy” look with his rock star hair and tattoos. In 2014 he was voted British GQ’s best-dressed male. He is expected to perform at the third iHeart radio awards in April. We can look forward to hearing more music inspired by Prince, 2Pac, Biggie and R.Kelly on his solo album “Mind Of Mine.