Zayn Malik became interested in singing and performing at a young age. His first television appearance was on The X Factor at the age of 17. During his time on the show, he grouped along with four other male contestants and formed the band One Direction. The group went on to become one of the most successful boy bands in music history.
Malik left One Direction in March 2015 and debuted as a solo artist the following year with the release of his first record, Mind of Mine.
Malik was born as Zain Javadd Malik on January 12, 1993, in the town of Bradford, located within the county of West Yorkshire in Northern England. He has both English and Pakistani ethnicity.
The father of Zayn Malik is an English-Pakistani, while his mother, Patricia (also known as Tricia), is an Englishwoman. One of his sisters is older than him, Doniya, and two of his sisters, Waliyha and Safaa, are younger. He comes from a Muslim family.
He was raised in East Bowling, located just south of the Bradford city center. He attended Lower Fields Primary School and Tong High School during his school years in Bradford. In his teens, Malik participated in school productions and took courses in performing arts.
At the age of 17 years, in 2010, Malik auditioned for the seventh season of the reality show ‘The X Factor’ in Manchester. His audition song was "Let Me Love You" by rhythm-and-blues vocalist Mario. He was selected and moved on to the next round of auditions.
Despite his elimination prior to the final round of the competition, judges Nicole Scherzinger and Simon Cowell placed him with fellow contestants. Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and Malik were grouped for the remainder of the show.
This group, known as One Direction, became one of their most popular finalists in their season of The X Factor. Despite finishing third, they signed with Cowell's Syco label right away.
Upon its release in the United Kingdom in 2011, the first single from One Direction, "What Makes You Beautiful," became a top pop hit. In 2012, the band's debut album Up All Night became a best-selling album in both the U.K. and U.S. Malik frequently toured with One Direction, interacting with the band's young female fans all over the world.
Fans were surprised when he dropped out of the group's world tour in March 2015. The band's spokesperson tweeted that Zayn has been diagnosed with stress and returning to the UK.
As of March 25, the singer permanently announced his separation from One Direction. His Facebook statement was as follows: "After five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band. I'd like to apologize to the fans if I've let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart."
Malika soon debuted his solo career after leaving One Direction with "I Don't Mind," which producer Naughty Boy leaked on the internet. A number of official singles followed, which included "Pillowtalk" and "It's You."
Both tracks appeared on his debut album, Mind of Mine, which charted on top in the U.S. as well as the U.K. in the spring of 2016. He also scored commercial success with his collaboration with Taylor Swift for the soundtrack of Fifty Shades Darker's "I Don't Wanna Live Forever.".
Malik released several singles from his upcoming sophomore solo album in April 2018, which included "Let Me," "Entertainer," and "Sour Diesel." As a long-awaited album, Icarus Falls received mostly positive reviews when it finally got released in December, despite its lack of commercial success.
In 2019, Malik teamed up with Zhavia Ward to cover the Aladdin soundtrack song "A Whole New World." In the same year, he worked with Shaed on a remix of "Trampoline" and collaborated with R3hab and Jungleboi on "Flames."
A third solo album called "Nobody is Listening" was released by Malik in January 2021
Following his separation from One Direction, Malik had the opportunity to work on his fashion interests. In early 2017, he introduced a men's shoe line in partnership with footwear designer Giuseppe Zanotti. Also, that spring, he was the creative director of a Versace collection.
During his time with One Direction, Malik was the "bad boy" of the group because of his mischievousness, multiple tattoos, and pompadour-style dyed hair. Shortly after entering the spotlight, the X Factor contestants Geneva Lane, Rebecca Ferguson, and Perrie Edwards began dating former X Factor contestants.
Malik got engaged to Perrie Edwards, a member of the band Little Mix, in August 2013. However, their relationship ended two years later. Afterward, Malik started dating Gigi Hadid in late 2015. The couple broke up in March 2018 but reunited in late 2019.
Hadid and Malik were reported to be expecting their first child together in April 2020. The couple welcomed their daughter Khai in September.
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