Have we just caught a glimpse of the success waiting for ex One Directioner Zayn Malik? While the public has been eagerly anticipating his next steps following his break from the most popular boy band on the globe, Zayn Malik has clearly been hard at work. Finding his own individual style, writing new music and preparing for domination of the UK and global charts.
Pillowtalk proves to be quite the success with its distinctive RnB resonance and surprising yet also inviting lyrics, it’s not a surprise that this song has taken the world by storm. This tune is undoubtedly a considerably large U-turn from the nature of One Direction’s pop music for numerous reasons. The lyrics throughout prove to be evidently risqué, which can be expected given the suggestive title Pillowtalk. It is clear that Zayn is taking control of his own work and producing the type of song that suits his more favoured style of music. The combination of the RnB beat along with the mellow but powerful vocals echoes the likes of popular and globally successful artists such as Miguel and The Weeknd, who successfully incorporate RnB with other genres such as rock to produce soulful sounding tracks. Zayn has been hard at work with songwriter and producer Malay, known for his work with hugely influential artists such as Frank Ocean, so there is no doubt that the album following this single will bring much of the same dominating sound as these leading artists.
To accompany the track is the music video that will only increase the heartthrob’s progressively large following. Featuring model girlfriend Gigi Hadid, provocative images and a seemingly frustrated Zayn himself…what’s not to love right? Zayn clearly knows how to market himself and his music as he told Zane Lowe in an interview in response to his video, ’I’m not collaborating with anybody, it’s all my own creative direction’. It’s almost as if this track is unveiling all the hidden talents of Zayn Malik in one big revelation.
Zayn’s new single has been met with unprecedented and outstanding success, reaching number 1 in 60 countries. The uproar is only increasing, with the music video gaining thousands of views every hour and his twitter following reaching 17.6 million. Looks like Zayn’s breakaway from the One Direction boys seems to be a step in the right direction, after all.
Zayn’s debut album Mind of Mine, will be released in March, a year following his split from his former band.
Mia Karam
