When Zayn Malik left One Direction, it left everyone dazed and confused. Where is he going? Is he quitting music entirely? Is he taking a temporary break? The news came out of nowhere considering they were amidst the biggest tour of their career. Fans were simply notified by a Facebook post. To this day, I remember exactly where I was when I first read that post, in second period on A day in AP World History. How can anyone expect the fans to understand why he left One Direction with a Facebook post? But months following his break up, fans realized why: he was simply unhappy. He did not feel One Direction was letting him write to his full potential, and felt as if he was being restricted by executives who expected him to be another cookie cutter pop singer. Now I love One Direction, don’t get me wrong. To this day, they are still my favorite band (please don’t leave this article because of my confession), but Zayn has a great point. Pop is an exploited genre, and One Direction never truly had the creative freedom. And Zayn was the only one who was willing to give it up for his beliefs. When he left, no one truly knew what direction he was going to take either,  but the one thing we did know was this is not the last of Zayn Malik. And on his anniversary of leaving One Direction, Mind of Mine was released, debuting at No.1 in the Billboard charts.     

           The sound of pop has obviously changed in the past five years, and his album Mind of Mine fits perfectly with the current taste. His album first starts with an intro song, also titled “Mind of Mine.” This 57 second song is a simple intro, literally giving you a look into what’s inside Zayn’s mind. It’s guitar centric, with a fusion of all the different sounds you will eventually hear. It teases you, showing you a small glimpse of what Zayn is really capable of. The intro songs leads to his highly anticipated single, “Pillowtalk,” also debuting at No.1 in the Billboard Chart, and No.1 in our hearts. No one truly knew what to expect, for we are so used to hearing him in pop in One Direction, and we weren’t familiar with the R&B side of Zayn. However, after listening to this single, it immediately showed this is where is heart his. His second song, “IT’s YoU” tugs at your heartstrings, while Zayn mesmerizes you with his soft vocals and discusses why he resents falling in love. One song that really captured my attention was “dRuNk”. Now this song isn’t about partying or drinking questionable drinks. It’s about how someone’s presence gives him the same feeling a drink with high alcoholic content can give someone. It leaves him motionless, unaware of his surroundings, and completely head over heels, similar to the way you feel after watching “Love Actually.”            

Overall, this album was a fusion of R&B and pop by the mysterious enigma named Zayn. This album is a spiritual experience.