Happy birthday, Zayn Malik! In honor of the former One Direction member's special day, let's take a look at his early beginnings, successful career, net worth, and his plans on releasing an album this year; check out all the details below.
Born Zain Javadd Malik on January 12, 1993, in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, the musician is now 31 years old. His dad was an immigrant Pakistani Muslim, while his mom was British or English and Irish descent.
Despite growing up with Islamic beliefs, the musician later said in life that he no longer identifies as a Muslim.
The singer had a very simple childhood as he grew up in a working-class neighborhood. He studied at Lower Fields Primary School and Tong High School.
When he was a teenager, he expressed his desire for performing and music by participating in arts couces and even performed in school productions.
Some of the musical influences he had was R&B, reggae, and hip-hop that his father would often play at home. He also wrote rap music when he was in school.
Zayn Malik Career, One Direction, Net Worth
By the time he was 17 years old, Malik decided to audition for "The X Factor." Initially, he wanted to back out and not attend the audition anymore, but his mom forced him to do so.
He performed "Let Me Love You" by Mario as his audition piece and he made it to the next round.
Later on, he was included in a boyband consisting of Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Liam Payne, hence One Direction was born.
Although the group didn't win the entire competition, they went on to become one of the most successful bands of all time as they toured several countries around the world, sold millions of albums, and more.
READ ALSO: One Direction Last Album 'Made in the A.M.' Anniversary: Is a Reunion Possible in the Future?
Zayn Malik's time with One Direction was not cut short, but he decided to leave the band in order to pursue a solo career.
In 2023, he revealed that the main reason why he left was because "there was a lot of politics going on."
"I was like, 'I'm just going to get out of here. I think this is done,'" he said. (via E! News)
Today, Zayn Malik remains one of the most successful members of the group with an estimated net worth of $75 million.
Zayn Malik New Album Coming This Year?
Zayn Malik made his comeback in July 2023 with a brand new single "Love Like This." It took him a long time to return as his last album was "Nobody is Listening" back in 2021.
As of this writing, the musician has yet to share more details about his new album nor its release date but he spoke with Billboard in November 2023 to tease about his next project.
"I'm putting the finishing touches on it right now, I'm ready for this to be shared with the world. Excited and ready," he said. (via That Grape Juice)
READ MORE: Zayn Malik News: Singer's Mom Reveals What's Keeping Former 1D Star Busy These Days
