Zane Malik got the first fans after participating in the British vocal contest The X Factor in 2010. And then the whole world learned about the young singer when he began performing as part of the pop group One Direction - one of the most successful music bands of our time. Today, Zane successfully develops a solo career and regularly gets into the ratings of the sexiest men in the world.
Biography: family and early years
Zane Javadd Malik is half Pakistani, although born and raised in Bradford, England. He was born on January 12, 1993 in the family of Yasser Malik and Trisha Brannan. The mother of the singer is an Englishwoman with Irish roots, and her father came to the UK from Pakistan. For the sake of her husband, Trisha converted to Islam and raised children in accordance with this faith. Zayn has one older and two younger sisters.
The future singer grew up in the East Bowling work area, home to many Pakistani immigrants. His family wandered in rented apartments, because they did not have the opportunity to purchase their own housing. Trisha Malik worked as a cook in a primary school for Muslim children. When Zane became famous, the first thing he bought his parents was a house and persuaded his mother to leave work, promising her financial support.
The songs of Asher, Prince, Robert Kelly, Nusrat Ali Khan, Chris Brown influenced the formation of Malik's musical style. The genres closest to him, which were continued in the solo work of the singer:
- hi-hop;
- reggae;
- R & B;
- bop;
- Bollywood music.
Zane received his primary education at Lower Fields Primary, then moved to Tong High School in Bradford, but suspended his studies due to participation in the show The X Factor. Teachers and classmates called him the star of all school productions, which captivated the audience with her performing talent. Much later, singing experts will call Malika the strongest vocalist of One Direction.
And once, the singer Jay Sean came to school, and Zane went on stage with him. As a teenager, he began composing his first rap songs. Also, the guy did not forget about physical development, for which he regularly visited the boxing section. In addition to music, he considered teaching English as a future profession.
Creativity: the path to success and world fame
In 2010, Zane went to audition for the seventh season of the popular show The X Factor. The singer’s mother recalled that in the morning before the casting, he overslept and was ready to abandon this venture. However, he succumbed to the entreaties of his relatives and still went. In front of an authoritative jury, the guy performed the hit Let Me Love You by the American singer Mario. The judges were satisfied, and Malik received a pass to the show.
He did not manage to reach the finals. However, the judges invited five participants to continue the struggle as part of a musical group. So Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zane Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan formed the boy band One Direction. According to the results of the show The X Factor, the vocal collective took third place.
Soon, the young musicians signed with Syco Music and Columbia Records and began work on their debut album. As part of One Direction, Zane Malik took part in the recording of four studio records:
- Up All Night (2011);
- Take Me Home (2012);
- Midnight Memories (2013);
- Four (2014).
One Direction is recognized as one of the most commercially successful teams in the world. Their first three albums invariably debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart. Not a single music group has ever sought such enviable constancy. Worldwide sales of One Direction records literally exceeded 50 million copies in just four years. However, fatigue, creative disagreements and thoughts about a solo career pushed Zane to leave the group. He announced this on March 25, 2015.
Solo career
In July, Malik signed a contract with RCA Records, and in early 2016 the debut single of singer Pillowtalk was released. The song started from the first place in the British and American charts. Thus, Zane became the first English singer to achieve the highest success in the Billboard Hot 100 with his debut single. In the video for the song Pillowtalk, he starred with his girlfriend model Gigi Hadid.
In March 2016, the singer introduced the audience to the album Mind of Mine, he wrote most of the songs on his own or in collaboration with professionals. Malik's debut studio work was a combination of several musical genres with a predominance of R & B. Critics noted the album's calm, smooth, smooth sound, in which songs seemed to flow one into another. Positive feedback was given to Zane's vocals and a new musical direction, which he chose after leaving One Direction.
The Mind of Mine album took the first lines in the charts of the USA, Australia, Great Britain, Canada, Sweden and many other countries. In support of his work, the singer performed at the Tonight Show and the iHeartRadio Music Award.
At the end of 2016, Malik together with singer Taylor Swift recorded the single I Don't Wanna Live Forever, which was included in the soundtrack for the film “Fifty Shades Darker”.
On March 24, 2017, the musician released the single Still Got Time, which was recorded with the participation of the Canadian rapper PartyNextDoor. This record was supposed to be part of Malik's second solo album. On the second single, Dusk Till Down, released on September 7, 2017, the female part was performed by singer Sia. On the same day, a video appeared on the Internet with the participation of Zane and actress Jemima Kirk, inspired by the films "Casino" and "Goodfellas." By the end of 2018, this video had more than a billion views on YouTube.
Track Dusk Till Down topped the charts in seven countries. However, received conflicting reviews. Some critics read the song a Grammy nomination, others called the duet of Zane and Sia boring and predictable. The second solo album of Malik Icarus Falls was released on December 14, 2018.
