After five glorious years, Zayn Malik broke the hearts of Directioners around the world when he left boy band One Direction in March 2015. But, despite this tragedy, Malik is back with his first single and music video for “PILLOWTALK.”
Breaking away from his boy band roots, Malik has finally found his own sound. Malik grew up listening to R&B, which shines through in the single. With a slight rock edge brought in by electric guitar, “PILLOWTALK” has an original and unique sound.
Malik has been known for hitting some incredible high notes while performing during his boy band days with One Direction. Malik’s full vocal range is not represented in his first solo single, but he still shows off his vocals throughout the song. His effortless yet powerful voice takes the simple lyrics of the song to a whole new level. Although the song is clearly about sex, Malik somehow manages to take the somewhat raunchy lyrics and make them sound beautiful.
The music video for “PILLOWTALK,” which features Malik’s rumored girlfriend Gigi Hadid, mirrors the lyrics of the song with sexy images. Malik and Hadid get intimate throughout the entire video, sharing a kiss that is sure to break the hearts of a few fans who are still hoping for Malik to reunite with his former fiancee, Perrie Edwards.
In a recent interview with Apple Music, his first on- camera interview since splitting from One Direction, Malik revealed that the title of his forthcoming debut album is “Mind of Mine.” If “PILLOWTALK” is any indication of the album, which is set to release in early spring, Malik is sure to take the music industry by storm.