Zayn Malik released his new album Mind of Mine and spent part of that day wading through a crowd of fans that rushed him and Gigi Hadid in New York City.
All of this mayhem was, of course, caused by Zayn Malik releasing his first solo album, Mind of Mine. According to Reuters, March 25 is also the one-year anniversary of Zayn Malik’s departure from One Direction.
Daily Mail reported on March 25 that Gigi Hadid looked fabulous in a sheer top while Zayn Malik used himself as a shield to guide her to their car. The pair were leaving the hotel where they are staying in NYC, and Zayn Malik was likely on the way to do his performance for the radio show Z100 for the Mind of Mine debut.
Adding to this, Just Jared reported that this was likely Gigi Hadid’s apartment and not a hotel room she was sharing with Zayn Malik.
Hollywood Life reported that Zayn Malik recorded the show on March 25 at the Honda Stage of the iHeart Radio Theater. Videos from Zayn Malik’s performance on March 25 will be available in the near future with an interview from Maxwell at iHeart Radio.
Now that the album has been released, reviews are rolling in — and not all of them are without a sense of humor. For instance, a reviewer at the Atlantic calls Zayn Malik’s new album his “sad pop dude” moment. Their main beef with Zayn Malik’s album is that the only song that is not solemn is “Do Something Good.” They describe the song as follows.
“The closest we get to the sound of out-and-out fun is on ‘Do Something Good,’ a reggae track about smoking pot and playing video games, relegated to the Target-exclusive edition of the album. Even there, if you listen closely you’ll hear not only a lightsaber noise but Zayn shaming himself for enjoying the day off.”
Washington Post reviews Zayn Malik’s album by saying “In pop music, the metamorphosis from horny boy-band caterpillar to oversexed butterfly solo artiste is a transformation as old as time… Zayn Malik’s solo debut… follows this boring trajectory to the letter.”
While the reviews coming in seem to be about the actual music, fans think Zayn Malik admitted to cheating on his ex, Perrie Edwards, in a song on Mind of Mine. According to the Mirror, some fans speculated that “She Don’t Love Me” was about Zayn Malik cheating on Perrie Edwards — possibly with a waitress.
Going in another direction with Mind of Mine reviews, Business Standard points out that some Zayn Malik fans appreciate that he had a hint of the Urdu language on the album.
One interesting review of Zayn Malik’s album is about the behind-the-scenes recording of Mind of Mine. Entertainment Weekly interviewed the producer and co-writer behind Zayn Malik’s newest work, Malay Ho, and quote him stating the following.
“In my mind, it was probably the opposite of what had occurred to him before, [in One Direction], where they’d walk into the studio and the songs were already ready for the group to sing … We were literally the complete opposite, to the point of being out in the woods with a mobile studio and a generator. Just me and him.”
However, if you ever think you see Zayn Malik in person, be sure you have the right guy before you ask for his autograph. As it appears, Zayn Malik has a lookalike, and it is not one of the impersonators from the various One Direction tribute bands from around the world.
Instead, as Daily Mail explained on March 25, a new Zayn Malik doppelganger has appeared on Instagram. Shyan Ranje, a stylist from Los Angeles, has frequently been asked on social media if he is related in some way to Zayn Malik because of their striking resemblance.
On second thought, the Guardian might suggest that you leave Zayn Malik alone at the bar you see him in because he might retreat to his “garden pub.”
As it appears, things like doppelgangers and fans swarming might explain why Zayn Malik is one of the celebrities that needed to build their own bar getaway. They explain that Zayn Malik’s backyard pub might be a fun idea to fans, but the reality behind the creation of something like a private bar might have a more sinister meaning.
Specifically, “[W]hen you reach that upper echelon of fame – when you’re in one of the world’s very biggest bands … it becomes all but impossible to do the ordinary things that most people take for granted…. There’s no way someone that famous could go into a restaurant. They can only ever eat at home.”
[Picture by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images]
