Why Gen Z swoons on Zayn Malik's tunes

Zayn Malik was born in 1993 in Bradford in England’s West Yorkshire.

Zayn Malik, former member of British pop boy band “One Direction”, turned 29 on Wednesday. The British singer, who has 44 million followers on Instagram and over 31 million followers on Twitter, was among the top trends on the internet, with fans sending him their birthday wishes and discussing their favourite songs of his.

Born in 1993 in Bradford in England’s West Yorkshire to a Pakistani immigrant father and a White British mother of English and Irish descent, Zayn Malik first found fame with British singing competition” The X Factor” in 2010, when he was 17. After being eliminated for his solo act, he returned to the show as part “One Direction”. The band shot to prominence after their appearance on the show.

Malik was the first to leave “One Direction” in March 2015 after five years with the band, to strike out as a solo artist.

“One Direction”'s biggest hits include "Best Song Ever", "Kiss You", "What Makes You Beautiful" and "Story of My Life".

He was the first British male artist to debut at number one in the UK and the US, with his album “Mind of Mine”.

His singles, “Pillowtalk” and“Blinding Lights”, are among his biggest hits.

His duet with music sensation Taylor Swift, “I Don't Wanna Live Forever”, received a Grammy nomination in 2018. Another song of his, "Dusk Till Dawn", with singer Sia, too was a global success.

Malik and his former girlfriend, supermodel Gigi Hadid, was among the most-tracked celebrity couples until they broke up in October last year following Malik’s alleged argument with his Hadid’s mother. He was accused of grabbing his girlfriend’s mother, reality TV star Yolanda Hadid, and shoving her against a dresser, according to court documents.

Malik and Gigi Hadid have a one-year-old daughter together. The couple had been dating off-and-on for several years since 2015.