Musictml5ｍ #Music Close-up RS Feature
Written by: Brittany Spanos Compiled by: Henry Zhou html l2
In mid-January this year, Zayn Malik released his third solo album with announcements only a week in advance "No One Listens", no regular promotional itinerary, photo interviews, or any activity.
Today's Zayn seems to be trying her best to keep a low profile in her career. In 2016, his first solo album, Mind of Mine, became popular worldwide, but his second solo album, Icarus Falls, failed to continue the trend. It seems unreasonable to launch a new work in a low-key manner, but to him, it seems to be expected.
In 2015, Zayn was the first to choose to leave One Direction when he was popular. The resentful group fans believe that he is trying to imitate Bobby Brown/Robbie Williams/Beyoncé/Justin Timberlake’s road to becoming popular, rather than as he said in the announcement of quitting the group at that time, hoping to “be out of the spotlight” There is room for rest and privacy”.
Zayn, Gigi and his daughter ©Instagram
Since he left the group, his various actions have proved that he is true: he is not active in social media, his PR Promotion can be avoided, he and model Jiji Ha Didi (Gigi Hadid)'s relationship between breaking up and getting back together for many years seems to have attracted attention from the outside world, but they also keep their private lives as secret. Last September, they welcomed their first child, but the child's name has not been made public so far.
In fact, the relationship between Zayn and Gigi is also the theme throughout this new album. In his new song, Zayn not only reveals his idea of getting married, but also shows the joy of becoming a father for the first time. Far away from his youthful years as a star-making machine, he felt unprecedented peace and hope.
Below is Rolling Stone's album review of Zayn.
"Nobody is listening"
Nobody Is Listening
★★★★★★½
Zane Marik's third solo album, as the name suggests, asked at the beginning if anyone else was listening to him. You may have guessed that he felt gone: "My brain lives with the cannabis/Can I resist the dark abyss?" (My brain lives with the cannabis/Can I resist the dark abyss?) His silly oral poems" Calamity sang, making the former member of the One Direction who successfully flew solo sound like a middle school student in Feiyezi.
Marik's worries are actually not without reason. It has been two years since his last album "Icarus Falls", and the 27-song album has an appropriate name, representing the gap with his first album "Decryption of the Heart". Neither LP pointed out his route after One Direction, but it made people even more confused: Does he want to dominate the popular charts or contribute his sincerity, which is enough to give birth to a work named after a Greek mythological figure and a total of 27 songs? After the melancholy opening of
, "No One Listens" also shows the restraint and growth of his just turned 28 years old and his first father, although the songs on the album seem to be more reflecting on the long-term of him and his girlfriend Gigi Hadid. Relationship, not his mental journey as a father. But Marik even showed his good singing skills in love songs, which is worthy of his efforts to become an R&B singer.
title song "Better" is smooth and pleasant, sweet and warm to describe the opportunity to come again, setting the tone for the entire LP coffee shop guitar-like music. In "Outside", he begs for forgiveness softly, and in the "Connexion" with frequent false voices, Marik is ready to "rush into the unknown".The brisk "When Loves Around" presents the lazy voice of new soul singer Syd, where Marik hints at the possibility of getting married while showing off his perfect cooperation with his chorus partner.
This album still has a surging R&B, which reminds people of "Decryption of the Heart". "Windowsill" is the dirtiest and brainwashed song on the album - far better than the boring, powerless "Sweet", although the "In the Air Tonight" style drum beats brought a little vitality in the previous paragraph of the "Sweet" chorus.
The climax of this album is "Tightrope" and "River Road", two of which are the best works of Marik so far. The former is a love song that is inspired by emotion, full of simplicity and power. He sang repeatedly in the song: "Something told me it was you". "River Road" is close to Leon Bridges' retro soul music, and Marik imagines the future in the song, is the coolest sound on this album that is so soft that it is suitable for listening in the bedroom. Even if he really thinks that no one listens to him, it doesn't matter. He only cares about one person anyway, and the honesty in pop music is nothing more than that.
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