Last year on this day in March Zayn Malik broke many girls’ hearts when he announced that he was leaving the international boy band One Direction. With 1/5th of the group gone, how was that going to work? Why would he do this to the masses of pre-teens and young adult women? How is he going to have a singing career outside of 1D? Fast forward one year later and Malik has released his very first solo album, Mind of Mine and it's golden. Timing is everything.
Malik took a real risk by leaving One Direction. Usually they tell you not to burn bridges in the professional world and since the split, it has been reported that he has not kept in contact with any of the other members. By separating himself from the brand because he felt as though he couldn’t truly be himself and had lost his passion for his music, he potentially could’ve ended his career altogether. Without the support of the die-hard boy band fans, his new R&B sound album could’ve flopped, but here is what he did right: He gained new fans.
In his departure from the band, there were rumors that in his new career as a solo artist he would step away from pop music and enter the sultry world of R&B. Being featured on songs with artists like Chris Brown only confirmed things and after his first single PILLOWTALK was released, it was set in stone. Say bye-bye to typical top 10 catchy melodies and open up your arms to the sweet seductive sounds of Malik’s vocals. The new songs on his album open Zayn up to a whole new crowd and it’s clear that he’s no longer making music for the teeny-boppers of his past.
My point is, re-branding is difficult. It’s a risk and in the public relations field sometimes they have to be made. In the case of Zayn, he knew that he was unhappy but wanted to continue to do something he loved. He made a complete 180 and so far, it seems to be working from him. Releasing his solo album just a year later from starting completely over is applause worthy.
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