By Linda Cheung
From 1D to number three, singer Zayn Malik released his third solo album titled “Nobody is Listening.” Being a former member of the world-famous band, One Direction, he has faced a lot of criticism for the album, often being compared to his former bandmates.
“The album has faced so much criticism and has only been deemed ‘a flop’ because people fail to realize that he is his own person, not just a former boy band member,” said freshman Nicole Donnelly.
Although the band has been broken up for over five years, people still compare Malik's current styles, musicality, and overall genre, to his days as an international sensation.
“I don’t think it’s okay to compare Zayn to his former band members, because Zayn is his own individual with his own talents… it’s not just with Zayn, we shouldn’t compare any of the 1D members with each other,” said freshman Manal Rashid.
“The album has faced so much criticism and has only been deemed ‘a flop’ because people fail to realize that he is his own person, not just a former boy band member...”
With a continued desire to change his musical direction from pop to alternative R&B, Malik brings influences of late ‘90s songwriters into his new album and singles such as “Vibez,” taking inspiration from artist Notorious B.I.G. With conspicuous titles and lyrics, many speculate that some of his tracks are about the time spent as a member of 1D and the years after his withdrawal from the band. Continuing to build off the voice he has created through his 2018 album “Icarus Falls,” he shows the individuality and expression of being a solo artist through the emotional songs in “Nobody is Listening.” Even though many have critiqued his retraction, Malik has expressed great joy from the ability to create tracks that speak to his personal experiences.
“I feel like from the album title, ‘Nobody is Listening,’ Zayn is trying to say that no one has really paid attention to him and his feelings. We saw this from his time in 1D that he clearly wasn’t happy being in a boyband which is seen in some lyrics of this album,” said freshman Sania Daniyal.
“Letting his success stand on its own will help him improve as an artist and encourage others to listen to his music for what it is,” said freshman Guraneel Kaur.
Source by Saanvi Mirchandani
Malik's new album, "Nobody is Listening," has received millions of streams on Spotify.
Meanwhile, songs such as “Better” and “Vibez” have also been hypothesized to be about his relationship with Gigi Hadid. With suspicions of the lyrics having ties to the recent birth of his baby, Khai Hadid Malik and experiences of fatherhood, Malik continues to draw musical inspiration from his private life while trying to maintain a low-profile public persona.
“For their on-again/off-again relationship, they should be able to handle those matters in private. It is none of our business to worry about their relationship, and the best thing for us to do as fans is to support them from afar,” said Kaur.
“Zayn and Gigi have repeatedly broken up and then gotten back together, but I feel like currently, they are very in love and serious about their relationship… I think their baby is adorable and I really respect their decision to not publicly display their daughter,” said Daniyal.
“As she grows older [Khai Malik], she’ll be more exposed to the media, but for now, she’s an infant, it’s better for only her family and friends to see her,” said freshman Navpreet Singh.
Although the critics and fans of Malik’s music continue to dispute his new album, he continues to share the expression and individuality of his solo career.
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