Zayn Malik (Getty)
Zayn Malik is a British singer that got his start in One Direction. He left the group and has since released a successful record called Mind of Mine, with the single “Pillowtalk.”
He also recently collaborated with the great Taylor Swift on the first single to the Fifty Shades Darker Soundtrack titled “I Don’t Want to Love Forever.”
He has also become half of the newest celebrity power couple with the American super model Gigi Hadid. Zayn is quickly becoming a household name. We did a little research on Mr. Malik and came up with 5 fast facts that you need to know.
1. One Direction got Their Start on the TV Show X Factor
One Direction (Getty)
One Direction (Getty)
In 2010, a then 17 year-old Zayn auditioned for the reality-TV show the X-Factor. He sang the Mario song “Let Me Love You.”
He was accepted into the next round, but was eliminated before the final round of the competition.
The show’s judges, Simon Cowell and Nicole Scherzinger, had the foresight to put together a group from the show that included Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson that eventually became ONe Direction. The group was eventually signed to Cowell’s Syco Records, and Columbia Records in the US.
2. Zayn Became the First British Male Artist to Debut at Number One on Both the US and UK Charts
His record, Mind of Mine debuted at number one on both the US and UK charts and released the single “Pillowtalk.” Malik became the first British male solo artist to debut at number one in both countries with his first album.
Zayn is also the third artist, behind Lauren Hill and Clay Aiken, to debut at number one on both the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 at the same time. The song “I Don’t Want to Live Forever” debuted in the Top 5 on the Billboard charts.
3. Apparently People think he’s Kinda Cute
Zayn has been ranked on multiple “Sexiest Men” lists including number 27 on Glamour’s “Worlds Sexiest Men”, voted British GQ’s best dressed male, and voted “Sexiest Male in Pop” by British radio network Capitol.
He’s pretty popular too, Forbes Magazine estimates his online social media following at 47 million users.
4. He is an Official Ambassador for the British Asian Trust Charity Group
Zayn at an amfAR fundraising event (Getty)
Zayn at an amfAR fundraising event (Getty)
Zayn is also involved with several charities including as the ambassador and figurehead for the British Asian Trust Group with contributions to improving the lives of disadvantaged people living in South Asia.
He was also heavily involved with Comic Relief contributing to African fundraising events. In 2016, Zayn bought a box at Bradford City Football Club for underprivileged children to watch football and named it after his grandfather.
He has also made appearance at amfAR events to assist in funding for AIDS research.
5. He is Currently Dating Model Gigi Hadid
Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid (Getty)
Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid (Getty)
Zayn and Gigi Hadid began dating over a year and a half ago. The story goes that they met at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show after-party. Apparently they connected quickly and started dating shortly after.
They have appeared together on numerous red-carpet events, and were featured together in a fashion spread in the May 2016 edition of Vogue.
