Why Zayn Malik Has the Makings of a Great Solo Star

4 minute read

If you found yourself anywhere near a computer or smartphone early Wednesday afternoon—any device with the ability to access Twitter, really—you could hear the muffled wailing of pop fans and cute boy enthusiasts the world over: Zayn Malik, the one with the smoky voice and the perfect hair, announced that he was leaving One Direction, thus rendering the band a foursome. And while that grieving process shouldn’t be compromised in any way, shape, or form, it’s worth taking a moment to consider what Malik’s departure is going to mean for the future of the band, and what his own future as a recording artist might hold.

In the four years since their debut album, 2011’s Up All Night, One Direction have transformed from a ragtag band of imps with more promise than vocal talent into a group of tonally distinct, creatively ambitious young men with appetites and attitudes. To these ears, Malik was at the core of that evolution: he was the band’s strongest and most readily identifiable singer, his voice coloured by a little musk and a pinch of salt. On the band’s latest album, last year’s very strong Four, he led off highlights like the tender “Night Changes” (a song rendered rather poignant if you pretend it’s about the band breaking up!) and anchored the middle of the lusty, crackling “No Control.”

Malik may have a considerable sonic presence on the band’s best and recent work, but he hasn’t had a major hand in their shift towards taking charge of their songwriting. Former bandmates Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, and Harry Styles have stepped up the magnitude of their contributions; between the three of them, they were credited with writing all but four of the sixteen tracks that made up Four‘s deluxe incarnation. Malik is only ever credited in tandem with other bandmates, and has only four such credits on the album. He may have influenced the band in other intangible ways, ones that don’t show up in any formal capacity—writing and production credits are just one set of windows into the creative process—but it feels safe to suggest that the band will continue to churn out stadium-ready power-pop, even in his absence. The texture and sensuality he lent to their vocal arrangements will be missed, but they can carry on without him.

His future as an artist in his own right is much less certain. To hear Malik tell it, he’ll be taking an indefinite leave from the spotlight—in his statement, he said that “I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time”—but it’s still fun to speculate about the music he could make when he decides to return. He’s talked about how he listened exclusively to R&B and hip-hop before joining the band, and his voice is well suited to the shadow and sinew that characterizes the sounds of those genres today. It’s not hard to imagine him emulating Nick Jonas’ recent embrace of lithe, lascivious funk, or dirtying up Sam Smith’s pristine pop-soul; if a move were to come out of left field, he could pair well with avant-pop auteurs like Dev Hynes or Jamie xx, or vocalists like Jessie Ware.

He’s still only 22, and his tour of duty with the world’s biggest boy band will earn him plenty of coverage when he decides to make his next move. For now, there’s only one thing to say: goodbye, Zayn. We’ll always have those midnight memories.

See One Direction Throughout the Years

BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards - Show
Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Zain Malik of One Direction perform at the BBC Teen Awards at Wembley arena in London, England in 2011.Dave Hogan—Getty Images
BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards - Show
One Direction perform at the BBC Teen Awards at Wembley arena in London, England in 2011.Dave Hogan—Getty Images
BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards - Show
One Direction perform at the BBC Teen Awards at Wembley arena in London, United Kingdom in 2011.Dave Hogan—Getty Images
BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards - Show
One Direction perform at the BBC Teen Awards at Wembley arena in London, United Kingdom in 2011.Dave Hogan—Getty Images
Nickelodeon's 25th Annual Kids' Choice Awards - Roaming Audience
Zayn Malik of One Direction performs at Nickelodeon's 25th Annual Kids' Choice Awards held at Galen Center in Los Angeles, Calif. in 2012.Christopher Polk—KCA2012/Getty Images
One Direction Perform in London
Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik of One Direction perform at HMV Hammersmith Apollo in London, England in 2012.Joseph Okpako—FilmMagic/Getty Images
One Direction Portrait Session In Sydney
Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Harry Styles of One Direction pose during a portrait shoot at Fox Studios in Sydney, Australia in 2012.Sam Ruttyn—Newspix/Getty Images
One Direction Performs On NBC's "Today"
Zayn Malik of One Direction performs on NBC's Today at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City in 2012.Slaven Vlasic—Getty Images
Z100's Jingle Ball 2012 Presented By Aeropostale - Show
One Direction performs onstage during Z100's Jingle Ball 2012 at Madison Square Garden on in New York City in 2012.Kevin Kane—Getty Images for Jingle Ball 201
2013 MTV Video Music Awards - Show
One Direction speaks onstage during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn in 2013.Theo Wargo—WireImage/Getty Images
2013 American Music Awards - Roaming Show
One Direction performs onstage during the 2013 American Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles, Calif. in 2013.Christopher Polk—AMA2013/Getty Images
One Direction in Buenos Aires
One Direction performs at the stage during their presentation as part of the tour "Where We Are Tour" at Velez Sarsfield Stadium on May 03, 2014 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.Cesar Quiroga—LatinContent/Getty Images
One Direction "Where We Are" Tour - New Jersey
Guitarist Dan Richards and Niall Horan of One Direction perform onstage during the "Where We Are" tour at Met Life Stadium on Aug. 4, 2014 in New York City.Kevin Mazur—OneD/Getty Images
One Direction "Where We Are" Tour - New Jersey
Zayn Malik of One Direction performs onstage during the "Where We Are" tour at Met Life Stadium on Aug. 4, 2014 in New York City. Kevin Mazur—OneD/Getty Images
One Direction: The TV Special - Season 2014
Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Harry Styles on the One Direction TV special in 2014.Jeff Daly—NBC/Getty Images
2014 iHeartRadio Music Festival - Night 2 - Show
Niall Horan of One Direction performs onstage during the 2014 iHeartRadio Music Festival at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sept. 20, 2014 in Las Vegas, NV.Denise Truscello—WireImage/Getty Images
2014 iHeartRadio Music Festival - Night 2 - Show
Niall Horan of One Direction performs onstage during the 2014 iHeartRadio Music Festival at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sept. 20, 2014 in Las Vegas, NV.Christopher Polk—Getty Images
2014 iHeartRadio Music Festival - Night 2 - Show
Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan of One Direction perform onstage during the 2014 iHeartRadio Music Festival at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sept. 20, 2014 in Las Vegas, NV.Kevin Mazur—WireImage/Getty Images
One Direction Celebrate The Release Of Album "Four" On NBC Today Show
Niall Horan of One Direction appears on NBC's Today Show to release their new album "Four" at Universal City Walk At Universal Orlando on Nov. 17, 2014 in Orlando, Fla.John Parra—WireImage/Getty Images
Saturday Night Live - Season 40
Amy Adams and One Direction members Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan appear on Saturday Night Live on Dec. 18, 2014.Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty Images
Saturday Night Live - Season 40
Harry Styles performs on Saturday Night Live on Dec. 18, 2014.Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty Images
Saturday Night Live - Season 40
Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan of One Direction perform on Saturday Night Live on Dec. 18, 2014.Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty Images

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