On March 25, 2015, Zayn Malik left One Direction. Many fans, including myself, shed a few tears as we thought we may never hear Zayn’s beautiful voice again. Luckily for us, Zayn debuted his solo album "Mind of Mine" exactly one year later, and luckily for Zayn, he is finally able to express himself and shine on his own.
Often seen as the shyest member in group interviews, Zayn claims that he didn’t have as much to say because he wasn’t 100 percent behind the music that One Direction was producing. With "Mind of Mine," Zayn has proved he has a mind of his own, and his musical tastes are a far cry from the rest of his ex-bandmates'.
As someone who has admired Zayn for his looks, personality and (obviously) voice for years before his solo debut, I am admittedly biased. It’s likely I would have loved whatever he put out, as I am a part of the built-in fan base he’s had after leaving One Direction.
However, a lot of aspects of the album surprised me in a positive way. The musical influences ranged from Frank Ocean to John Lennon, making his own vibe unique from anything else that’s out there.
It’s clear from this album that Zayn is testing the waters and is still figuring out what he wants to do musically. Some songs, namely "iTs YoU," seem to exist on the album solely to show off his stellar vocal abilities. "TiO" is a sexy departure from One Direction in which Zayn clearly takes cues from The Weeknd, while on "INTERMISSION: fLOwer," Zayn sings in Urdu, his fathers native language, exploring a new style that we likely wouldn’t find on any other popular album.
The album seamlessly flows from one song to the next with a mix of upbeat and mellow tunes. There is a song for almost every occasion and every playlist. "LIKE I WOULD" needs to be added to your party playlist ASAP, whereas "wRoNg" is meant to be played in the bedroom, and "tRuTh" has made its way onto my “chillin” playlist.
There are a few aspects of the album critics are pointing out that even I as a fan can’t deny Zayn could improve upon. The Myspace-style writing of the track list somewhat detracted from the songs themselves and just look silly. Many listeners thought the lyrics were “better day” instead of “bed all day” in his chart-topping single "PILLOWTALK," proving he needs to work on enunciation. He also dropped a few too many f-bombs, presumably to further distance himself from his boy band past.
With the world listening, it seems as if Zayn will have a large fan base waiting to see him make these improvements as he continues to discover what kind of artist he is with his next album.
