Zayn Malik. Now that’s a name you probably haven’t heard much of since his solo album Mind of Mine dropped in March 2016. He is best formerly known as a member of One Direction, one of the hottest boy bands to have ever existed in pop culture.
I honestly believe that leaving the group could have been one of the best decisions that he has made for his career. He took a risk and ended up producing an album that made him the first male U.K. solo artist with their first album at number one on the Billboard chart. He even topped One Direction’s new album Made in the A.M. (first album without Zayn), blowing them out of the water with remarkable sales and great reviews. Not to mention, Zayn has also managed to start designing shoes in collaboration with the high end Italian shoe brand known as Giuseppe. On October 4th of this year, it was announced that he also made it on Business of Fashion 500 list for the first time along with A$AP Rocky and Beyonce for their breathtaking contributions to the fashion world. As John Green would say, Zayn is on a roller coaster that only goes up my friend.
Photos courtsey of Robert Wunsch
However, things weren’t always this good for Zayn. When he publicly made his decision to leave One Direction, the dedicated fans were far from happy. Directioners are some of, if not, the most passionate fans ever so when this news broke out, copious amounts of tears were shed from every teenage girl on the planet. It even went as far as some girls performing self-harm in hopes of Zayn changing his mind and returning to the band. The news blew up all over social media. People treated it like it was a tremendous tragedy leading to the end of the world. It was all people were talking about for weeks, with a fine line of fans that supported him and fans that were utterly disappointed in his decision. Unfortunately, you can’t make everyone happy and Zayn definitely learned that the hard way.
With fame comes maintaining a certain image. Being in One Direction meant that Zayn had to wear certain clothes and style his hair a way that presented the boy band image they wanted. He mentioned in an interview that he had to ask permission if he wanted to make any sort of change to his look. This just goes to show that being a celebrity is not as glamourous as it is made out to be. Yeah, celebrities have loads of money and fame, but they are forced into living a whole new life under the eyes of millions of people. They have to be cautious of what they do and say, and can’t go to places that were once their hometown favorites because of crazy fans and paparazzi. Zayn mentioned that he hates the word “celebrity” because it makes it seem as if he is putting himself on a pedestal and everyone else is beneath him. People’s intentions also begin to be questioned in the transition of becoming a celebrity, due to the uncertainty of whether or not they are just around because of your fame and fortune. Zayn explained how everyone starts to think that they know you because they know your name, and they try and make up all these things about you that most of the time aren’t even true. It is a whole different world from the outsider’s point of view; no one but Zayn himself knows what goes on in his day to day life.
Aside from it all, Zayn is only focused on his career and making himself the best person that he can be. Leaving One Direction took a toll on him and all the Directioners, but he didn’t let it stop him. He decided to follow his dreams and be the person he has always wanted to be, which I believe to be the best version of success.
HCXOXO,
Shayla Fajardo