![]() ![]() Earlier this week in an interview with Zane Lowe, Malik admitted what seemed like the unmentionable: that he never wanted to be in One Direction, and that, for him, it was just kind of a runaway freight that kept steamrolling. Especially since it tells us Zayn’s willing to try, which is even braver.Īnd that’s arguably what makes Zayn legitimately cool: his willingness to try to make something that’s entirely his own. To take a risk, regardless of how cheesy or “oh dude, no” blood tears may be, is still brave. And yes, we look back on those years with a bit of face-palm, but they were also entirely necessary for us to break from our pasts and become the people we are now. This video is the equivalent of our journeys off to college, when we got hip haircuts and started listening to bands our friends back home probably hadn’t heard of. (Yikes.) It’s painfully, dramatically artsy and earnest, complemented by kaleidoscope effects and nude models that drive home the point that Zayn must be taken seriously.īut what else did we expect? Considering The Weeknd, Drake, and Justin Bieber have honed careers built on videos and songs with equal parts sincerity and “guys, please dial it down” imagery, it would betray Zayn’s foray into solo-dom if he were to sit alone under the sun strumming a guitar like he was waiting for Liam, Louis, Harry, and Niall to join him. In it, we see Zayn and Gigi kissing and looking dramatic, and then Gigi cries tears of blood and so does Zayn, but all of it’s done under what looks like an iMovie filter or a few graphics lifted from the first edition of The Sims. ![]() Full stop: The video for "PILLOWTALK" is OTT. ![]() Which, controversially, adds to his coolness.Īnd I know that made you want to toss your laptop into the ocean in response to my blasphemy. His solo endeavor forces him to take accountability for everything from his lyrical content to his choice to cast Gigi Hadid (who he’s dating) in his "PILLOWTALK" video. He’s not onstage alongside anyone else who can take the heat if he makes a mistake. While he’s undoubtedly working with a team that’s rooting for him to succeed (he’s signed to RCA, so I think we’d all be surprised if they tossed him in the deep end of the solo pool and expected him to swim beautifully and all alone), his career - at least outside label meetings and recording sessions - now rests solely on his shoulders. Which already makes him cooler than we’ve been giving him credit for. (the band's latest full-length) carried grown-up themes, they were still four men part of a bigger whole. But the difference between one’s late teens and early 20s is massive, and while Made in the A.M. For five years (or four, if you’re Zayn), the boys cultivated easily accessible personalities in the spirit of professionalism. While One Direction was a cultural and musical phenomenon, the guys’ original cookie-cutter personas still created a mold from which it was nearly impossible to deviate. Rebelliously, in the wake of One Direction’s own break, he sings unabashedly about sex and personal conflict, and alludes to the former with floral graphics censoring frontal nudity in the corresponding music video for "PILLOWTALK." He’s an adult, and he wants us to know it.īut Malik is also a pop star, and not just in the boy band sense of the word. For the sake of this argument, let’s keep things real: "PILLOWTALK" (all caps) - the lead single off Zayn’s forthcoming Mind of Mine - is a serious jam.Ĭhronicling the ups and downs of a tumultuous relationship (fighting! fucking! no mention of nights in with Netflix at all!), Zayn’s words, hooks, and high notes epitomize the type of pop persona he’s been trying to cultivate since breaking from One Direction almost a year ago. ![]()
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