Zayn Malik failed as a solo artist on the 2010 series of British television’s X Factor. So too did Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson. Yet by teaming up these five teenagers as One Direction, X Factor creator Simon Cowell put together one of the most successful bands in pop music history.
Fans were shocked last year by Zayn’s decision to quit. It seemed bizarre that he should turn his back on a band whose incredible run of success showed no sign of waning. But Zayn said he had grown tired of the pop star existence and simply wanted to live an ordinary life.
Sadness at his departure but sympathy for his desire to enjoy a normal lifestyle quickly turned to anger and disillusionment when it became apparent Zayn had actually left One Direction to pursue a solo career.
But time is a great healer of wounds and emotions. Many One Directioners who felt let down by Zayn leaving the group now fully support his solo efforts and have played their part in sending his debut single, Pillowtalk, straight to number one on the UK chart.
The song has also hit number one on the iTunes download chart in 60 countries and shot straight to top spot on Billboard’s Hot 100. In so doing, Zayn has reached a position yet to be achieved by his former bandmates. For all their enormous success, One Direction have never topped the Hot 100. Their peak thus far is number two with Best Song Ever in 2013.
A naturally delighted Zayn sees this solo success as completely vindicating his decision to leave One Direction. Indeed, he insists he never actually wanted to be in the group.
“I was looking for an experience when I auditioned for X Factor,” revealed 23-year-old Zayn. “That experience didn’t look like it was going to last too long when I was eliminated. I didn’t particularly want to join the other guys but Simon Cowell was giving us the chance to continue as a group so it would have been pretty stupid to turn down the opportunity.
“I got on well enough with the others and we obviously didn’t know what our music would be like at that stage so I gave it a go. But it wasn’t long before I realised being in One Direction really wasn’t for me. I didn’t much care for most of our songs. I didn’t feel like I could give my opinion about the music because it didn’t fit the grain of what we were as a band.”
The remaining members did not try to talk Zayn out of leaving One Direction.
“They didn’t want me to go but realised I’d made my mind up. They knew I’d not been happy within the band for some time and had tried to incorporate some R&B anthems for me to perform in our concert set lists. They also knew I’d been writing my own material for a while. I think they just wanted me to be happy.”
With Pillowtalk at number one and his debut album, “Mind of Mine,” set for release on March 25, exactly one year after he announced his departure from One Direction, Zayn couldn’t be happier with his solo career.
“I’ve finally got to do what I wanted. For the first time, I’m releasing music on my own terms. The build-up to Pillowtalk coming out was an exciting but nervous time. It was exciting because I was getting the chance to present the real me in musical terms. But it was also nervous because I obviously wanted people to enjoy my music and you can never be sure what the reaction will be.”
Zayn believes his solo material should be totally separated from his work with One Direction.
“It’s like that was then and this is now. I had some fantastic times as part of One Direction but I don’t see that I would ever want to perform any of the band’s songs as part of my solo concerts. I think people should understand being in One Direction is part of my past life. Creating and performing my own songs is what I want to do now and in the future.”
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The Monkees
The three surviving members of The Monkees are recording a new album to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary.
Originally put together for an award-winning TV show about a struggling band who wanted to be The Beatles, Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork became almost as popular as the Fab Four. Their first four studio albums all topped the US chart during 1966 and ’67. They also released smash hit singles such as I’m a Believer, A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You, Last Train to Clarksville, Pleasant Valley Sunday and Daydream Believer.
But their era of massive success was short-lived. By mid-1970, both Tork and Nesmith had quit the group. Their continuing popularity was based around re-runs of the TV show which reminded viewers of just how good their music had been.
Various reunion tours were performed over the years. Jones and Dolenz were the prime movers behind these tours but they almost never featured all four original band members.
Davy’s death from a heart attack in February 2012 saw Mike Nesmith return to the fold. He had not performed with his bandmates since 1997 but wanted to be part of the tour which had been scheduled for later in 2012 to pay tribute to his friend.
Mike is also participating in the 50th anniversary album, “Good Times!” The album will feature contemporary songs written by artists such as Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo, Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard and Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger.
But it will also contain songs written for The Monkees back in the 1960s which were either unreleased or never finished. These include the album title-track by Harry Nilsson and a Neil Diamond song, Love To Love, which features the vocal recorded by Davy Jones nearly 50 years ago.
“Good Times!” will be released on June 10.
Most of the band’s songs can be found on YouTube. Gain access by typing their name in the website search box.
Alfred Hall
Alfred Hall sounds like the name of an earnest singer/songwriter. In fact, it is the moniker of a Norwegian indie-pop duo consisting of singer/guitarist Bjorn Tveit and guitarist Hans Thomas Kiaer.
The boys joined forces in 2009 and released their debut single, So Bright, two years later. Their first album, “Wilderness,” came out in 2013 and was nominated for a Spellemann Award, the Norwegian equivalent of a Grammy.
Their first international release was 2014’s “The Alfred Hall EP.” More tracks have followed, most of which can be found on YouTube.
These include the duo’s latest single, Safe and Sound. An old song which was originally released two years ago, it has now been given a new remix for a 2016 radio edit. The boys say this will soon be posted at (no www.) soundcloud.com/alfred-hall-music. In the meantime, an earlier remix can be heard at (no www.) soundcloud.com/thechilllife/alfred-hall-safe-sound-2
Beyonce/Missy Elliot
The Super Bowl half-time show rarely fails to fuel yet another controversy. It was Beyonce this time who caused consternation with a performance of her new song, Formation.
Obvious references by Beyonce and her backing dancers to the Black Lives Matter movement and the Black Panthers, a militant organisation which rejected the non-violent ideals of Martin Luther King, brought forth a barrage of criticism from middle America.
Perhaps the Super Bowl show organisers should have asked Missy Elliot to appear for a second successive season. She was a non-controversial guest on Katy Perry’s half-time concert last year and released a new song, Pep Rally, to coincide with Super Bowl 50.
Missy has yet to make an official video to accompany the song but an audio posting of Pep Rally can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVS-U7gFi4E
DELIGHTED: Zayn sees his solo success as completely vindicating his decision to leave One Direction.
