Nobody ever doubted Zayn Malik's talent for breaking hearts and creating tunes. The former One Direction singer's career as a solo singer exploded when he dropped his song "Pillowtalk" from his debut album Mind of Mine in 2016. The trippy yet seductive track was a hit, and the music video clocks in at over 1 billion views on YouTube as of this writing.
However, since then, while it's still far from over, the powerhouse singer's career seems to be going downhill. He has released two more albums since then, but none of them could replicate the success that his debut album once had. So, what happened and what's gone wrong with his career? To sum it up, here's how Zayn Malik's career went downhill.
6 Zayn Has Struggled With Mental Health Problems For Quite Some Time
Zayn Malik is no stranger to mental health issues, and that has hindered the progress of his career. The singer once called off his appearance at the Capital Summertime Ball due to his anxiety attack back in 2016.
That's not the only time Zayn has ever walked out of a show. In the same year, he also canceled his scheduled date at the Autism Rock Arena in Dubai because he did not feel confident enough to rock the gig.
"I now have no problem with anxiety. It was something I was dealing with in the band," the actor reminisced his time in One Direction in an interview, "People saw strength in that, and they didn't seem to expect it from a guy, but they expect it from a female, which to me is crazy."
5 Zayn's Messy Breakup With Gigi Hadid
Zayn and his partner Gigi Hadid seemed like a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, the ship sank last year in the wake of the singer's court battles. As reported by TMZ, he was charged with four criminal offenses of harassment against Gigi and her mother, Yolanda, back in October 2021. The courtroom document details accounts of Zayn pushing Yolanda into a dresser and calling her a "f***ing Dutch slut" and many other disturbing details. Ouch.
"Zayn has a complicated personality. It's been hard at times for Gigi to live with him," an inside source told People, "They are both good parents, though. They co-parent."
4 Zayn Was Dropped From His Label, For Being Difficult To Work With
In the same year, Zayn's label RCA dropped him in the wake of the courtroom battles. The label had been serving as his home after his sudden exit from One Direction. An inside source told The Sun that the chart-topping music star was axed due to being "impossible to control."
"A lot of people have tried desperately to get Zayn’s life and career back on track, but nothing has worked," the insider added, "So many people who have worked with him have just given up ... A while ago his label quietly decided it was the end of the line for their relationship, and now this."
3 Zayn's Last Album, "Nobody Is Listening," Underperformed
Zayn's latest album, Nobody Is Listening, heavily underperformed in comparison to his first two records Mine of Mine and Icarus Falls. The album was released in January 2021, just a few months before the explosive news that led to his departure from RCA in October of the same year. While it was a critical success, Nobody Is Listening only managed to peak at 44 on the Billboard 200, which isn't a handsome number for an artist of his caliber.
2 Zayn Doesn't Like To Promote His Albums
The reason for the album's flop could be because Zayn just simply doesn't like to promote his albums like other musicians: by doing press runs, tours, and live performances.
"I don’t really want to do s***loads of promotion. I’ll do the music interviews and stuff like that, that actually have something to do with what I’m doing," the musician told Duncan Cooper of The Fader in 2017, "But a lot of public interviews and being on TV, to me, is more about being a social character, about being a — what’s the word for it, when people are on TV but don’t do anything? Reality TV stars? I don’t buy into that side of things."
1 Zayn Doesn't Feel Comfortable Touring Due To His Anxiety Problems
In fact, ever since Zayn left One Direction, he has never been on a headlining world tours or opened for another artist. Back in 2016 when he canceled his Summertime Ball show at Wembley Stadium, an insider said that he's "filled with dreads" by the thought of going on a world tour.
"Even a one-off TV appearance is unlikely at the moment. Zayn has been working hard to get control of his fears and obviously wants to perform live, but at the same time he doesn’t want to let anyone down by announcing dates and then cancelling them," the insider added.