Zayn Malik: Everything you need to know about the former One Direction star
From 1D to solo singer
Zayn Malik originally formed one-fifth of One Direction from 2010 until 2015, after he decided to exit the group, leaving Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and the late Liam Payne continuing without him. Since then, he embraced a solo career releasing his Number 1 single 'Pillowtalk' in 2016 and followed by five solo albums, the most recent being ‘Konnakol’.
In 2026, Zayn returned to music with the release of his fifth album’s lead single 'Die For Me', followed by 'Sideways'. He then released his album 'Konnakol' in April and announced dates for a world tour. Here's all you need to know about Zayn as part of 1D, and a solo artist...
How old is Zayn?
He was born on 12th January 1993 in St Luke’s Hospital, Bradford, making him a Capricorn, and currently 33-years-old.
What is Zayn's real name?
Zayn’s name is actually spelt with an ‘i’ (Zain), and means “beautiful” in Arabic. He once said that ‘Zayn’ looked more original and adopted it as his stage name. His middle name is Javadd, often wrongly written as Javaad, Jawadd or Jawaad. This makes his real full name Zain Javadd Malik.
Where is Zayn from?
He was brought up in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Other famous Bradfordians include magician Dynamo, Kimberley Walsh from Girls Aloud, Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson and Gareth Gates.
Zayn spoke out about growing up in Bradford in a letter to the Prime Minister in November 2022, calling for free school meals to be rolled out for every child in poverty across England. He wrote: 'I know what that shame feels like, have seen it first-hand, as growing up in Bradford, relied on Free School Meals.
'I personally experienced the stigma surrounding food insecurity. My hope is that in writing this letter we can all ensure that no child ever has to experience this hunger and stigma again as my experience is not unique; it is a struggle that many children in England are sadly going through right now.'
Zayn was the ambassador for Bradford in 2025, the year that it was City of Culture. Speaking about the role, he said: "Bradford is and always will be home to me.
"It’s a very special place and I’m happy to see it being recognised as the UK City of Culture for 2025. There are some exciting projects I am taking part in throughout the year that I can’t wait to share with you. Now we can celebrate this great city and the people who live and work here with the rest of the world.”
Zayn’s school life
Zayn attended Lower Fields Primary School as a youngster before moving on to Tong High School. At school, Zayn starred as one of the ultra-cool, leather clad T-Birds in a production of Grease.
His nickname at school was ‘Z’ (pronounced the UK way "zed" rather than the American "zee"), and his three favourite subjects at school were English, Art and Drama.
Zayn’s family
Zayn was born to British Pakistani father Yaser and an English mother Tricia Malik (maiden name Brannan). He once admitted to being a bit of a handful for his parents when he was younger, telling Glamour: "I was a bit of a handful when I was a kid because I was quite hyperactive. Even in the house my mum used to put me in my pram because I was so full-on."
He has three sisters called Doniya, Waliyha and Safaa. Malik in Arabic means ‘king’ or ‘chieftain’, and the crown tattoo on Zayn’s chest represents that.
During his time on The X Factor, Zayn’s grandad sadly passed away. In tribute, he has his name Walter tattooed on his chest in Arabic.
Music in 2026
Zayn's fifth album: 'Konnakol'
Zayn released his fifth solo album 'Konnakol' on 17th April 2026. The album features 15 songs, including the lead single 'Die For Me' and its follow-up 'Sideways'.
Is Zayn going on tour?
Zayn is going his global 'Konnakol Tour' from May 2026 to November 2026, marking his first ever headline arena and stadium tour. The first leg of the upcoming tour begins in the UK, including four cities - Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham, and London.
Zayn on The X Factor
Zayn originally applied to be on the 2009 series of The X Factor, but pulled out before auditions due to nerves. When he eventually did audition a year later in 2010, his audition wasn’t broadcast on the main show, but was shown retrospectively on spin-off show The Xtra Factor, after he progressed further into the competition.
Zayn’s X Factor audition number was #165616, and he’s since joked that he’d like to get it tattooed on his arm. At his first X Factor audition, he sang Mario’s ‘Let Me Love You’.
WATCH: Zayn Malik's X Factor audition
A very nervous Zayn almost walked off The X Factor at bootcamp as he couldn’t perfect his dance moves. Fortunately, the legendary Simon Cowell talked him round and he went on to wow the judges - later admitting that he never thought he’d make it to the finals of The X Factor. He claims he entered the show "just for the experience."
Zayn once said he thought that One Direction would be great guest judges on The X Factor. He told 110% Pop: "I'm sure we’d be very interesting to watch actually. We haven't been approached for that yet."
One Direction
Although Zayn, Louis, Harry, Liam and Niall didn’t win The X Factor, they went on to become one of the show’s most successful acts of all time. They released five albums: ‘Up All Night’ (2011), ‘Take Me Home’ (2012), ‘Midnight Memories’ (2013), ‘Four’ (2014) and ‘Made in the A.M.’ (2015).
Zayn’s favourite track on ‘Up All Night’ is the Kelly Clarkson penned ‘Tell Me A Lie’, and he has approximately five-and-a-half minutes of solos across the record. Asked to sum up 1D’s debut album ‘Up All Night’ in one word, Zayn once described it as “anthemic” and admitted he’s totally flabbergasted by the success of One Direction in America.
Zayn's tribute to Liam Payne
Liam Payne tragically passed away on 16th October 2024, after falling from his hotel balcony in Argentina. Following the shocking news, tributes poured in for the late singer, including from the likes of Dermot O'Leary, Jade Thirlwall and Olly Murs.
Zayn took to Instagram to share an emotional tribute to Liam, following a joint post from the One Direction boys. In his own tribute, Zayn shared an image of him and Liam in the early 1D days, writing: 'Liam, I have found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me, I can't help but think selfishly that there was so many more conversations for us to have in our lives.'
He went on to say: 'Even though we butted heads because of this a few times, I always secretly respected you for it.' Signing off the emotional post once more with: 'Love you bro'.
You can read the full statement on his Instagram post below.
When did Zayn leave 1D?
Zayn decided to leave the group in 2015, releasing a statement which read: "My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined. But, after five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band. I'd like to apologise to the fans if I've let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right."
The remaining members also released a statement, reading: ‘We're really sad to see Zayn go, but we totally respect his decision and send him all our love for the future. The past five years have been beyond amazing, we've gone through so much together, so we will always be friends. The four of us will now continue.’
Despite initially saying that he was not leaving the group due to any falling out with other members, he told New York-based magazine The Fader in December 2015 that he was frustrated with his lack of musical input.
He said: “There was never any room for me to experiment creatively in the band. If I would sing a hook or a verse slightly R&B, or slightly myself, it would always be recorded 50 times until there was a straight version that was pop, so they could use that version."
Although other members of One Direction have never completely closed the door on a reunion, Zayn has been quite clear on a number of occasions, saying in 2018 that he "doesn’t speak" to his former bandmates.
On 25th March 2025, he performed 'Night Changes' during his 'Stairway to the Sky Tour' in Mexico - exactly 10 years to the day since he left the band - to the delight of the audience.
Zayn as a solo artist
After leaving 1D, Zayn worked with producer Naughty Boy on solo music, before signing a solo deal with RCA Records in July 2015. He released single ‘Pillowtalk’ in January 2016 which went to Number 1 in the UK and the US, making him the first British artist to debut at Number 1 in the US with a debut single. His debut album ‘Mind of Mine’ came out two months later in March 2016.
Releasing his autobiography Zayn in November 2016, he released a song called ‘I Don’t Wanna Live Forever’, a collaboration with Taylor Swift, in December 2016. The song appeared on the Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack, and won Best Collaboration at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards and the 2017 MTV Millennial Awards.
Zayn was nominated for three BRIT Awards, British Single of the Year and British Video of the Year for 'Pillowtalk' and British Video of the Year for 'I Don't Wanna Live Forever' with Taylor Swift.
In 2018, he released his second album ‘Icarus Falls’, and also covered one of Elvis Presley's songs, uploading the audio of 'Can't Help Falling in Love (Cover)' to his YouTube channel.
After contributing a cover of ‘A Whole New World’ to the soundtrack of Disney’s 2019 live-action remake of Aladdin, Zayn’s next big release was his third album ‘Nobody Is Listening’ in January 2021, but he was unfortunately dropped by his label in October 2021.
In 2023, Zayn signed a new deal with Mercury Records. Then, on 17th May 2024 he released his fourth album: 'Room Under The Stairs'. At the time, Zayn said it was his favourite album to date. He released three singles from the album 'What I Am', 'Alienated' and 'Stardust'.
In July 2025, Zayn started to tease new music called 'Fuchsia Sea'. The singer shared a clip of the song along with a video of him walking, from behind, along a corridor, wearing a large coat.
Fans were left very excited at the prospect of new music, with one fan saying: 'I missed you so much 😭❤️', and another saying: 'Zayn rapping is my fav genre!'.
Then, in October 2025, Zayn released a song called 'Eyes Closed' with K-pop singer Jisoo. On releasing the song, Zayn told his fans it made him the 'coolest dad around', after he earlier said that his daughter Khai was a big fan of BLACKPINK.
Has Zayn appeared in any films?
Zayn featured in animated film called 10 Lives, released in January 2024. The film is about a pampered and selfish cat, who takes for granted the lives he has been dealt. As well as writing music for the film, Zayn played the dual role of two twins, sung a duet with Bridgerton's Simone Ashley, (who plays the female lead), and he was the film's executive music producer, overseeing the film's music.
CBeebies Bedtime Story
On 22nd May 2024, Zayn appeared on a CBeebies Bedtime Story, where he read a book called Music is in Everything by Ziggy Marley (Bob Marley's son).
The singer explained why he chose this book, saying: "I chose this book because I love Bob Marley, and because music and reading are both important to me as a parent.
"I sing to my daughter at night-time when she goes to sleep and I read to her at bedtime too. I feel like this will be something really cool to show her, so I’m up for reading a CBeebies Bedtime Story!"
Which football team does he support?
Zayn backs his hometown side, Bradford City AFC, and has supported them for years. He’s been seen wearing their shirts and, as of May 2025, was cheering on their push for promotion. Although he's attended Manchester United games, Bradford City is widely regarded as the club he truly supports.
What relationships has Zayn been in?
Zayn dated fellow X Factor star Rebecca Ferguson for four months, but the relationship ended in July 2011 when they "drifted apart". He also dated Hollyoaks actress Stephanie Davis in 2011, and began dating Little Mix’s Perrie Edwards in December that year.
Perrie and Zayn were together for four years, becoming engaged in August 2013 but the relationship sadly ended in August 2015 when he reportedly broke up with her via text. Little Mix’s song ‘Shout Out To My Ex’ is thought to be about the break-up.
Zayn began dating model Gigi Hadid after she starred in the music video for ‘Pillowtalk’. They welcomed daughter Khai in September 2020, but split in October 2021 amid reports that Zayn was accused by Gigi’s mum Yolanda of “striking” her.
As of early 2026, Zayn has confirmed he is single and not currently in a relationship.
What is Zayn's net worth?
As of 2026, Zayn's net worth is estimated to be approximately $75 million (£65 million), which is the commonly cited figure by industry tracker Celebrity Net Worth.
Fun facts from his time in One Direction
- He once admitted to fancying Megan Fox and had a secret man crush on Justin Timberlake.
- His favourite book is Harry Potter.
- Zayn can’t swim and is scared of open water (also known as Aquaphobia). Despite this he likes sharks – especially hammerheads!
- His favourite band of all time is *NSYNC, and his favourite song of all time is ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson.
- Zayn is also a huge Chris Brown fan and lists ‘All Back’ as one of his most-played songs, with his favourite album being ‘Graffiti’ by the singer.
- One of Zayn’s most memorable mottos is: "Never live life in the fear of death, no matter how hard life gets, don’t lose hope."
- Zayn is Muslim and once tweeted: 'La ila ha ill lalla ho muhammed door rasoolalah', a common declaration of faith that means - There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the prophet of Allah.
- Zayn has a bizarre pre-gig superstition – he always brushes his teeth before getting on stage. He admitted to us that his habit "is a little bit weird."
- Just like Harry Styles, Zayn is a cat lover, although his first pet was a Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Tyson! When he was younger, he also had two cats called Lily and Lolo, and his favourite animal is a lion.
- Zayn once described Olly Murs as "like an older brother." Bless!
- Zayn said he was the neatest member of One Direction and jokingly described his bandmates as 'pigs'.
- Zayn said if he wasn’t in One Direction he’d like to be an English teacher.
- Zayn loves drawing when he has the spare time.
- One of his pet hates is people chewing loudly with their mouth open. We agree, Zayn!
- Zayn’s first kiss was with a girl called Sophie Kirk when he was 10-years-old. He told heat: "She was a little bit taller than me, so I had to stand on a brick. She was one of triplets and I kind of dated all three of them."
- If Zayn could have dinner with anyone dead or alive it would be Michael Jackson.
Emma Dodds is a Digital Content Editor across Bauer Media's Rayo brands, including the Hits Radio Network, Greatest Hits Radio, KISS, Cool FM and Magic Radio. With a focus on long-form features, Emma prefers digging into a topic and really uncovering a well-rounded view of an artist - using honed SEO skills to figure out the answers to the questions people are really interested in. She especially enjoys a deep dive on song meanings analysis and lyrics interpretation!