Zayn Malik is a British singer, songwriter, and Model Born on 12, January 1993. He got his start by auditioning for a TV music show called “The X Factor” in 2010. Although he didn’t make it far on his own he got another shot and joined a group called One Direction which became super famous. But in 2015 Zayn decided to leave the group and pursue his music career.
His first solo album Mind of Mine came out in 2016. It was different from One Direction’s pop style with more of an R&B vibe. The lead single “Pillowtalk” was a huge hit making Zayn the first British guy to debut at number one in both the UK and the US with his first solo song and album.
Zayn’s next songs like “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” with Taylor Swift and “Dusk Till Dawn” with Sia also did well worldwide. He’s since released two more albums: Icarus Falls in 2018 and Nobody Is Listening in 2021.
Zayn’s talents have earned him a bunch of awards including an American Music Award and a MTV Video Music Award. He’s the only artist who’s won the Billboard Music Award for New Artist of the Year twice – once with One Direction in 2013 and again in 2017 as a solo artist.
| Full Name | Zayn Malik |
| Date of Birth | January 12, 1993 (age 31 years) |
| Place of Birth | Bradford, England |
| Occupation | Singer, Songwriter, Model |
| Height | 5 feet 9 inches (175 cm) |
| Spouse | Gigi Hadid |
| Children | 1 (Daughter) |
| Net Worth | $75 million |
Zayn Malik’s Early Life and Education
Zayn Malik was born Zain Javadd Malik on January 12, 1993, in Bradford West Yorkshire. His dad Yaser Malik came from Pakistan while his mom Trisha Malik is of White British descent but converted to Islam when she got married. Zayn has one older sister Doniya and two younger sisters Waliyha and Safaa.
Growing up in East Bowling Bradford Zayn’s family didn’t have a lot of money. He went to Lower Fields Primary School and later Tong High School. Even as a kid Zayn loved performing and was into music thanks to his dad’s collection of R&B hip hop and reggae. He even started writing his raps while still in school.
Zayn Malik got his first taste of performing on stage when the singer Jay Sean visited his school. Apart from music, Zayn was also into boxing during his teenage years.
Despite his love for music and performing Zayn initially planned to go to college to study English hoping to become a teacher someday. But his passion for music eventually led him down a different path.
Career
In 2010, Zayn Malik then 17 auditioned for the seventh season of “The X Factor” in Manchester. Despite feeling nervous and wanting to skip it his mother persuaded him to go. He performed “Let Me Love You” by Mario and made it to the next round. Malik was looking for a new experience. Even though he was eliminated before the final round judges Nicole Scherzinger and Simon Cowell put him together with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson to form a new group. This group One Direction quickly became popular in the UK finishing third in the competition and signing a £2 million contract with Syco Records. They also signed with Columbia Records in North America.
One Direction’s official book “One Direction: Forever Young” was released in February 2011 topping The Sunday Times Best Seller list. That same month the band performed for 500000 people across the UK as part of the X Factor Live Tour. Their debut album “Up All Night” came out in November 2011 in the UK and Ireland and internationally in March 2012 becoming the first UK group to have a debut album reach number one in the US.
The lead single “What Makes You Beautiful” was a hit reaching number one in the UK and number four in the US and going multi-platinum. Other singles like “Gotta Be You” and “One Thing” also did well in the UK. Due to high demand their UK tour expanded to North America and Australia. A live tour video album was released in May 2012 followed by their book Dare to Dream: Life as One Direction which topped The New York Times Best Seller list.
In September 2012, One Direction released “Live While We’re Young” the lead single from their second album hitting the top ten in many countries. Their second album Take Me Home came out in November 2012 selling 540000 copies in its first week in the US and reaching number one in 35 countries. They were the first boy band in US chart history to record two number-one albums in the same year.
Their Take Me Home Tour began in February 2013 with over 100 shows worldwide grossing $114 million. In August 2013, their 3D concert film “One Direction: This Is Us” grossed $68.5 million. That same month their third book One Direction: Where We Are: Our Band Our Story was released.
“Midnight Memories” their third album was released in November 2013 and became the best-selling album worldwide for 2013 selling four million copies. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 making One Direction the first band in history to have their first three albums debut at number one. Their lead single “Best Song Ever” became their highest-charting single in the US.
The “Where We Are Tour” in 2014 was a huge success grossing over $290 million and becoming the highest-grossing tour of the year. Their fourth book One Direction: Who We Are: Our Official Autobiography was released in September 2014 followed by their second concert film One Direction: Where We Are – The Concert Film in October 2014.
In November 2014, their fourth album Four was released and topped the charts in 18 countries selling 3.2 million copies. Singles like “Steal My Girl” and “Night Changes” went platinum in the US. In 2015, the On The Road Again Tour started. On March 18 after 16 shows Malik announced he was overwhelmed by stress and would miss the rest of the tour. A week later he left the band wanting to live a “normal” life away from the spotlight. Zayn Malik later revealed in interviews that he was unhappy with the band’s musical direction and couldn’t experiment creatively.
Zayn Malik was spotted in a London studio with Naughty Boy in March 2015 hinting at a solo career. In July, he signed with RCA Records. His debut solo album Mind of Mine was released in March 2016 led by the single “Pillowtalk” which debuted at number one in the UK and US. The album received praise for its R&B sound and reached number one in several countries. He became the first British male solo artist to debut at number one in both the UK and US. He promoted the album with performances and released collaborations with Snakehips Taylor Swift and more.
In 2017, Zayn Malik released several singles including “Still Got Time” and “Dusk Till Dawn.” His second album Icarus Falls came out in December 2018 with 27 tracks but didn’t achieve the same commercial success as his debut. In 2019 he covered “A Whole New World” for the Aladdin soundtrack and collaborated with Shaed and R3hab.
Zayn Malik released the single “Better” in September 2020 leading to his third album Nobody Is Listening in January 2021. He later dropped three new tracks in September 2021 embracing an old-school hip-hop style. In October 2021 he parted ways with RCA. By January 2023 Malik signed with United Talent Agency for music and media representation and later with Mercury Records for a new single in summer 2023 “Love Like This.”
Other ventures
In 2016, Zayn Malik got recognized as a big name in the fashion world when he made it onto The Business of Fashion’s BoF500 list which showcases the top influencers in fashion. In January 2017, he teamed up with Italian shoe designer Giuseppe Zanotti to release his line of shoes. This collection called Giuseppe for Zayn included four different styles of shoes. Around the same time he starred in a Versus (Versace) campaign alongside model Adwoah Aboah and also co-hosted a fancy party during Paris Fashion Week. Donatella Versace the head designer of Versace even chose Malik to be the creative director for a special collection called Zayn x Versus which came out in May 2017.
In September 2018, Zayn Malik designed a line of backpacks for The Kooples. He also modeled for clothing brands like Penshoppe and Martyre which was founded by Gigi Hadid’s brother.
Aside from fashion Zayn Malik is also involved in charity work. He’s an official ambassador for the British Asian Trust which helps people in South Asia. With his old band One Direction he helped raise money for African causes with Comic Relief. He’s also made personal donations like giving away his guitar to raise money for sick kids in Scotland and donating to help with a little girl’s medical treatment.
In 2020, Zayn Malik showed support for the Black Lives Matter movement by sharing links to petitions and donating to causes. He’s also spoken out about political issues like when he posted “#FreePalestine” during the Gaza War in 2014 which caused controversy.
In 2022, Malik wrote a public letter to the British Prime Minister asking for more support for free school meals during tough economic times. And in 2023 he became an ambassador for the Hopefield Animal Sanctuary a place that takes care of injured or abandoned animals. Malik wants to use his platform to help spread awareness and save animals in need.
In 2024, Zayn Malik collaborated with producer Dave Cobb on his new album “Room Under the Stairs” released on May 17, 2024. The album features singles like “What I Am” and “Stardust” and debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart and number fifteen on the US Billboard 200. Malik also announced his first solo live show to celebrate the album’s release.
Net Worth
Zayn Malik has an estimated net worth of $75 Million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The main source of Zayn Malik’s net worth comes from his career as a singer and songwriter. He earned a lot of money from being a member of the band One Direction and later from his solo music career. His earnings also come from concerts, album sales, and endorsements.
Personal life
Zayn Malik openly talked about dealing with an eating disorder. He blamed the intense schedule and fast-paced life of touring for it. He has also mentioned facing anxiety and low self-esteem, especially before performing solo live shows. This anxiety got so bad at times that he had to cancel several concerts saying it was the worst anxiety he ever experienced in his career.
He used to own homes in Los Angeles and London but he sold them in 2018. Now he owns an apartment in SoHo Manhattan.
Zayn Malik has faced discrimination due to his Muslim background. However, in 2017 he stated he identified as a non-practicing Muslim and didn’t want to be defined solely by his religion or culture. Later in 2018, he said he no longer identified as Muslim.
Zayn Malik started dating Perrie Edwards a member of the group Little Mix in December 2011. They got engaged in August 2013 but broke up in August 2015.
Then he began an on-off relationship with model Gigi Hadid in late 2015. Hadid appeared in his music video for “Pillowtalk” and they even appeared together on the cover of Vogue in August 2017. Hadid gave birth to their daughter in September 2020.
They spent most of their time on a farm in rural Pennsylvania where Zayn Malik looked after horses and cows. However, their relationship ended in October 2021 after Hadid’s mother accused him of assaulting her. Malik pleaded no contest to four harassment charges and was sentenced to probation for anger management and domestic violence education programs.
Evolution
Zayn Malik grew up listening to a lot of different types of music like R&B, hip hop, reggae bop and Bollywood tunes mostly because of his dad’s collection. Artists like Nusrat Fateh, Ali Khan, R. Kelly, Usher, and many others influenced his taste. Originally he wanted to be an R&B singer solo but then he joined One Direction. Even though the band mostly played pop rock his R&B style made him stand out. Eventually, he left the group because of creative differences.
Now his solo stuff is more R&B alternative R&B and electropop but he experiments with other genres too like electro-R&B, hip hop, neo-soul reggae, and even Qawwali ghazal.
He mentioned in an interview with Rolling Stone that he got inspired by artists like Chris Stapleton and Willie Nelson while writing “Room Under the Stairs.” Instead of the glossy R&B sound he used to make he switched to a more rustic and soulful style taking cues from Stapleton and Nelson.
Zayn Malik’s got a great voice with a wide range. He’s known for his belting and falsetto techniques and hitting those high notes. Some say he was the best singer in One Direction. One writer even said he had the best vocal skills and that his leaving would leave a gap in the group’s sound.
