New DIRECTION

Zayn Malik has been in the making for a while now. The singer gets candid about his music, life away from the city, and becoming a father. He talks to Bazaar India about his refreshed focus on the best things that life has to offer.

- RASNA BHASIN

Up until this story and cover shoot, the only thing Zayn Malik and I had in common was our birthday. We were born on the exact same day, month, and year, and I always wondered if we had any similarities. After a remote photoshoot and interview—where I powered through a few espresso shots to stay awake for a 4 AM Zoom call (IST) while Malik effortlessly switched outfits and charmed everyone on set—I realised we do share one trait: we both love being around people as much as we love our me time.

Malik, known for his chart-topping hits and his quintessential boyish mystique, has over the years morphed from a boy band heartthrob with a winning smile to a solo artist with a sound as sexy as it is sophisticated. He’s traded the bubblegum pop beats for a musical universe that’s daring, soulful, and undeniably Zayn. He is a trendsetter whose effortless demeanour has redefined style just as the perfect Bazaar Man. He is also a philanthropist who uses his platform to champion causes he believes in. And recently, he’s stepped into the beautiful world of fatherhood. Yet Malik, in all his multifaceted brilliance, is only just entering a new era.

The former One Direction member has a new solo album—‘Room Under the Stairs’—in which he has mixed R&B with Americana and folk music while paying homage to his Pakistani roots. This is Malik’s first project under a new label, Mercury and Republic Records. This shift signifies a return to creative control, with Malik taking the lead on production along with collaborator Dave Cobb. This album has been coming for a long time. “It started when I wrote Alienated about six years ago. I wrote something I didn’t know I had in me,” the Pillowtalk singer says. “Once I unlocked that potential and realised I liked where the sound was headed, I wanted to create more. I think my daily environment helped shape the music I created and made it easy to embrace.”