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Zain Javadd Malik, or else known by his stage name Zayn Malik (born 12 January 1993) is an English pop singer and 1/5 of British-Irish boyband One Direction. The group rose to fame through the televised singing contest The X Factor (UK TV series). Despite coming in third place, the group received a recording contract with Syco Records and released their first album “Up All Night” in 2011.

Early Life
Malik was born to Patricia and Yaser Malik in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. He is of English and Irish descent from his mother’s side and Pakistani descent from his father’s. He is the second oldest, and the only boy. He has three sisters: Doniya, Waliyha, and Safaa. Malik was raised as a Muslim.

Growing up, Malik says he’d had to switch schools due to bullying and getting into fights. He also starred in some theatrical production as a kid in shows like “Bugsy Malone” and “Grease”. Malik had also performed onstage with musician Jay Sean when the rapper had visited his school. Malik worked as a waiter in his uncle’s restaurant.

Besides singing, Malik has also said that he had an interest in comic books growing up.

The X Factor
Malik auditioned as a solo singer in the 2010 season of The X Factor, but his audition was not televised. According to Malik, he auditioned because he’d just wanted someone to tell him he could sing. He was initially reluctant to audition, his mother having “drag him out of bed” to go. Malik had originally planned to audition a year earlier, but says he “chickened out”.

During boot camp, Malik met difficulty when the contestants were told they had to dance. Malik refused, as he was afraid to do it. After a talk with Simon Cowell backstage, Malik finally agreed and joined the other contestants. However, he was not able to go through as a solo singer and was eliminated at the end of boot camp. But later, he was called back along with Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson and told they would be able to continue to the competition as a group. The group was named One Direction.

Malik, along with the group was able to pass through the judge’s houses and into the live shows. The group made it all the way to the finals and finished in third place.

One Direction

 * Main article: One Direction

Shortly after finishing in third place, Malik, along with his bandmates was given a record contract with Syco Records. They began recording their debut album “Up All Night” in early 2011 and was released in the UK on November 2011. The album was released in March 2012 in the US and Canada. The group also appeared in an episode of the Nickelodeon show “iCarly” in 2012. Their second album “Take Me Home” was released in November 2012. This was followed by a documentary “This Is Us” which featured behind-the-scenes look at One Direction’s tour life as well as some of their personal and pre-fame lives. The movie premiered in August 2013. The band’s latest album, “Midnight Memories” was released in November 2013.

Personal Life
Malik currently lives in London with his fiancee Perrie Edwards from the UK girl group Little Mix. Malik met Edwards in 2011, while Edwards competed with her group on the 8th season of The X Factor. They officially announced their relationship in 2012. Malik proposed to Edwards in 2013.

In August 2012, Malik deactivated his Twitter account due to hate he received, mostly toward his race and religion. He activated his Twitter again a couple of days later.

Malik has expressed an interest in art - especially graffiti. He has a special room in his house, a “graffiti room”, where he spends his time painting on the walls. During the 7 hour livestream, 1DDay, by the band, Malik was shown painting a graffiti wall backstage at a concert venue. In an interview for Office Depot, Malik talks about how he believes music and art go hand in hand, and credits his interest in art to his family.

Besides art, Malik's other interest lies in English. According to the band's first autobiographical book, Dare To Dream: “I was always really good at English and reading even when I was really little. My reading age was about the same as 18-year old’s from the time I was eight..." Malik says that his grandfather constantly made him read, as he was proud of Malik's proficiency. In an interview in 2012 for the Daily Mail, Malik is able to define the term "lothario" and connects it to Don Quixote. The interviewer calls Malik's response "impressive". The interview also states that Malik "...[O]nce had ambitions to become an English teacher."

Malik owns four pets: two dogs named Harley and Hatchi, a cat named Prada, and a lizard named Arnie.

Philanthropy and Recognitions
In 2013, it was announced that Malik was an ambassador for the British Asian Trust, a social fund organization that seeks out to help charities that focus on South Asian countries.

Malik ranked #17 in GQ's best dressed men for the year of 2013. In 2014, Malik was again included on a best dressed list, but this time for Attitude magazine.

Malik has also been said to be the inspiration for the character Robbie Reyes, who portrays the titular character in the reboot of the “Ghost Rider” comic series.