As Zayn Malik's management team dumps him, it's time the singer channels his heartbreak into his art
Many hearts were left broken, when power couple Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid, in true Hollywood fashion, chose to part ways earlier this year without explaining much about their split.
Instead, the pair who enjoyed an on-again and off-again relationship for almost two years took to their respective social media accounts and posted one final statement.
"Gigi and I had an incredibly meaningful, loving and fun relationship, and I have a huge amount of respect and adoration for Gigi as a woman and a friend," the former member of One Direction wrote adding, "She has such an incredible soul. I’m grateful to all of our fans for respecting this difficult decision and our privacy at the time, we wish this news could have come from us first. We love you all. xZ"
Short and to the point. While the news came as a shock to most people, both inside and outside the industry, some loyal fans had, however, already started noticing what could be assumed as the first signs of trouble.
Whether it was Gigi's cryptic post, quoting Martin Luther King Jr., "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that;" or Zayn's numerous posts flaunting a slew of tattoos, including that gigantic rose design that featured on Instagram right after the break-up - the signs were prominent.
Zayn's Insta-approved romance with the supermodel was doomed to fail, and the ex-One Directioner was headed towards another tumultuous phase in his life - somewhat similar to what he went through after infamously quitting the five-member band that shot him to fame.
As expected, within weeks of the split announcement, turbulent headlines started making the rounds. By late March, in fact, it was claimed that the 25-year-old singing sensation was reconsidering his much-anticipated second album and was even inclined towards dropping the tracks that had anything to do with the Victoria's Secret model.
Agreed, the information didn't come from the horse's mouth, but the very prospect of Zayn chucking prospective hits is terrifying to his legions of fans, whom he lovingly calls Zquad.
"Zayn has been hard at work on his album for about 18 months. During most of that time, he was completely head over heels in love with Gigi so that's what he wrote about," dished a source, as quoted by news outlets, adding, "There are lots of songs about their love, passion, and sensuality. But some of the songs are more painful to him than loving now."
As if the thought of a heartbreak messing up his long-awaited album was not enough, rumors of more troubles surfaced most recently. This time it's linked directly to his future as a solo artist-performer, as it's been reported that the singer has been "dumped" by his management team, First Access Entertainment.
The cause of the untimely and distasteful end of his association with the management team - Zayn's hot-headedness. Known for representing a number of big names including British crooner Rita Ora, model Winnie Harlow and Girls Aloud star Nicola Roberts, First Access Entertainment is believed to have been trying to make things work with the Dusk Till Dawn singer for some time now, but with little success.
“Sarah’s [Co-founder of First Access Entertainment] been trying to make the relationship work for two years but Zayn’s hot-headed and has let his tongue run away with him one too many times," The Sun reported on Tuesday.
While this is clearly not the first misstep in the series of unfortunate events that mark this broody-yet-talented singer's departure from 1-D, it surely won't be the last, considering the self-sabotaging mission that Zayn seems to have taken upon himself.
In fact, before his hot and heavy romance with the eldest Hadid sister, the English-Pakistani star had enjoyed quite a few public romances, like that one time when he dated Little Minx Perrie Edwards.
But, possibilities of heartbreak messing it all never seemed more likely and honestly speaking, it's high time Zayn gives up on his old ways and anything that could drive a wedge through his promising solo music career.
After all, he bounced back after the 1-D break-up in all his glory
Back in March 2015, after Zayn announced plans to part ways with his fellow band members Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson, Directioners had instantly hit panic mode.
Amid reports of legal troubles with his then-producer Naughty Boy, rumors that he wasn't allowed to officially release solo music for at least two years, and his ongoing feud with the band-mates, it almost seemed impossible that the Bradford-born singer's solo career would ever take off.
However, things changed and for the better.
Although the first few months post-1D was a complete mess, professionally speaking, it wasn't long before the 'I don't Wanna Live Forever' hitmaker would bounce back in action with two new collaborations. His first signing was with the Turn First Artists management, followed by a deal with the RCA Records - all signs hinting that Zayn's career was finally ready for a solo start.
After all, these two companies together, have been responsible for nurturing a rooster of talents - whether it's with songtresses Iggy Azalea and Ellie Goulding or pop phenomenon of this decade, Miley Cyrus.
In addition to righting the several wrongs that were atrociously committed in terms of Zayn's music graph, RCA also, successfully, put to rest the "two-year" ban rumor, which by the way was never confirmed.
“I guess I never explained why I left, it was for this moment to be given the opportunity to show you who I really am!” the singer had excitedly announced at the time, taking his first steps towards transforming into the star that we have to come to know.
Hitting no. 1 on Billboard 200 - a step in the right Direction
While slamming the 1-D window, a band formed almost as a fluke by British topgun Simon Cowell during 2010's X-Factor, Zayn had infamously said that "I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old."
The timeline following his departure, however, begs to differ. If anything, Zayn's career has been on the rise and his chart-topping singles are a proof of it. Considering that he was the first One Directioner to bet on himself and embark on a solo ride, it seemed like the singer's talent finally paid off in 2016.
Not only did his first LP, 'Mind of Mine' top the Billboard 200 charts, but also he made history by becoming the first UK male solo artist ever to feature atop the list with a debut album.
Adding to the sweet, sweet victory was the fact that Zayn's bandmates lost the battle, by peaking at Number Two with their Made in the A.M. LP. A loss that would taste even more bitter after losing to Justin Bieber's 'Purpose'.
Zayn was clearly steering away from the initial boy band image that One Direction had established for him - take for instance his shirtless teaser for his first single, PILLOWTALK. He was done with censoring, and his dark, moody musical style was clearly taking shape, which is reflected in his old Billboard interview.
“I’ll come down here and record maybe seven songs a night. That’s because I’m enjoying what I’m doing. I’m not censoring myself anymore, so I’m not tired. I love it," he had said.
He can beat Harry Styles any day
In the truest sense, Zayn has evolved as the dark horse, outperforming all his fellow band members, especially, rival solo star Harry Styles.
To put this into perspective, consider the number of streams that have been played on Spotify for both the artists. While the 'Still Got Time' hitmaker boasted an impressive 13.3 million plays in the first four days of Pillowtalk's release; fellow ex Directioner Styles could only manage a little over 8 million for his single 'Sign of the Times'.
Clearly, Zayn, who was the first to leave the band of his own accord, continues to prove his mettle and if there's ever a battle for the title of the "most successful 1-D star" we all know who's taking the crown.
Having said that, let it be known that the anticipation for a follow-up album to his chart-topping, solo debut 'Mind of Mine' is going through the roof.
Hope Zayn is listening!