It's been almost a year since Zayn Malik broke hearts with his famous departure from global sensation boy band, "One Direction." Now he's mending them one by one with the first single off of his debut solo album, "Mind of Mine" (out on March 25th, the one-year anniversary of his exit from the band). The track is titled "Pillowtalk," boasting a vastly different musical vibe and lyrical subject matter than we're used to hearing from the 23-year-old singer (a sound his former management hadn't allowed him to explore when he was a member of "One Direction") and everyone, it seems, is all for it.
If you haven't thrown your money at Zayn Malik already for unlimited access to "Pillowtalk" (why not?!?!?), here's where you can and here's why you should.
1. It's really so good.
This honestly should be reason enough to go buy it. But it's understandable if you need a little more of a push. And if you happen to not think it's amazing? You should probably listen to it again. Keep listening until you love it. Seriously. Because you will. It's a fantastic song.
2. It's #1 in 48 countries.
And that includes the United States. The whole world is jamming out and you need to get with the program.
3. The music video has millions of views.
After day one, this video had more views than the residents in New York City and that number is only going up -- not bad for any artist in general, but especially for a debut single. There's no denying that this is already one of the biggest songs of the year.
4. Zayn's reaction to the song's success is adorable.
Just check out his Twitter feed and you'll see this little gem in action. We need to continue the sales so he keeps tweeting like this.
5. There's no reason not to play it on repeat for eight hours straight.
Owning the song just makes this that much simpler to achieve. And trust me when I say that you want this song stuck in your head.
6. Zayn's vocals are everything you never knew you wanted in a song.
Anyone who's ever listened to "One Direction" knows that Zayn has some of the best pipes in the industry. But I can promise that you've never heard him like this. Seriously, I challenge anyone to resist the almighty urge to scream along to that epic chorus (or at least aggressively lip sync it). Spoiler Alert: you can't.
7. The economy is dying and Zayn has the power to save it.
I mean...
8. You need something to tide you over until March 25th.
And "Pillowtalk" will do just the trick.
9. There's no escape from capitalism.
It's inevitable. Just buy the song.
10. Zayn's success sends a wonderful message.
After leaving what is arguably the biggest musical act in the world right now, there was a lot of uncertainly over the future of Zayn Malik. Were we ever going to see him again? Was he going to fade into obscurity? Did he just make the biggest mistake of his life? There was an overwhelming number of opinions surrounding his decision and most of them weren't positive. Then when he announced that he'd signed onto RCA records and was pursuing a solo career, the buzz continued, and a lot of people wondered if - and hoped that - he'd fail.
With the response so far for "Pillowtalk," it's safe to say that he hasn't, and that means so much more than another big pay day for him. Zayn Malik is proof that making the unpopular decision can be the right one, and that it's not a bad thing to think of your own well-being first. Sometimes you don't owe other people anything and that does not make you undeserving of happiness or success.
Zayn left "One Direction" for himself. He began a solo career, making the kind of music he always wanted to, for himself. And now he's absolutely smashing it -- even after so many had forsaken him. If that's not empowering or inspiring, then I don't know what is.
Throwing more support at him further emphasizes what we already know; Zayn Malik isn't going anywhere. It takes a lot to remove yourself from a situation like his, and it's his hard work, his talent and his inner strength that got him where he is today. Now let's reward him for it.
