The twenty-three year old Pakistani- Brit invites you to take a look into his mind with his debut solo album Mind of Mine. Zayn Malik has surprised the media by his announcing his album release date as the same day as the anniversary he left his former group, One Direction in March of 2015. Mind of Mine is very much out of the ordinary than what Malik’s fans are used too. There are hardly any pop or rock themes but, there is plenty of R&B and ballads to make up for it plus, it has a much more of a raw feel to the album.

Mind of Mine is Malik’s way of taking the listener on an adventure through his mind; to listen to his thoughts and opinions on certain times through his life like his former relationship/engagement with songstress Perrie Edwards and his experience of being part of his former group for the past five years. The album has been influenced by some R&B, rap, and even some bollywood. During Malik’s interview with Fader Magazine in 2015, he expressed “You know I used to listen to a lot of Bollywood being a kid and stuff so yeah that definitely influenced the music a little bit,” he goes on to say, “Then as I got older I just started listening to a lot of my dad’s old records like nineties stuff. Just like a lot of R&B and a lot of rap.”

Malik has also chosen a very strange yet unique way of tilting the tracks on his album. He does this weird thing where he will capitalize some of the letters in his album track and leave some lower case. Examples would be “TiO” (acronym for ‘Take It Off’), “rEaR vIeW”, “sHe”, and “wRoNg”. Mind of Mine’s bonus tracks however, are all capitalized such as “LIKE I WOULD” and “BRIGHT”. Malik even purposely includes some misspelling of words in his track titles like “BeFoUr” (Before) and “PiLlOwT4Lk” (Pillowtalk).

The twenty-three year old has forgotten his past of pop/rock tracks with “PiLlOwT4lK”, an R&B influenced production with rather explicit yet meaningful lyrics. The track glorifies Malik’s powerful vocal ability, something he didn’t do too often while in One Direction. “PiLIOwT4lK” has received all positive feedback from both fans and critics. “PiLlOwT4lK” is the first single from Mind of Mine.

Personal favorites of mine are “LIKE I WOULD” and “sHe”. “LIKE I WOULD” is a fast paced dance  tune with a soul and R&B influence. Malik showcases minimal lyrics in the song but, just enough to make the tune catchy enough to remember. The track is also the album’s second single.

“sHe” is a slower contemporary R&B jam also with repetitive lyrics. Malik focuses more on the production of his vocals in this one and also adds a few falsettos towards the end of the track. While listening to “sHe”, I’ve learned the track ends with an interlude that sounds like a completely different song. Then, once I finally listen the album’s tracklist in order I come to realize “sHe’s interlude smoothly transitions into Malik’s next track titled “dRuNk”. The interlude is a very creative way of showcasing his talent with the production of his music.

I have a new appreciation for Malik’s creative ideas and inspiration from his culture. In “INTERMISSION:fLoWeR”, Malik sings in Urdu, a language from his Pakistani father’s side. The lyrics say “Jab tak is mohabbat ka phool na khilay, Tab tak is dill ko sukoon na miley, Dil day mujhe, Dil day mujhe, Dil day mujhe.” And in english translates to “Until the flower of this love has blossomed, This heart won’t be at peace, Give me your heart, Give me your heart, Give me your heart.”

“wRoNg” the only song on the album to have a feature. The track features R&B songstress Kehlani. “wRoNg” is another slower R&B jam with raw and some slight explicit lyrics. “rEaR vIeW” is my favorite lyrically and has a smooth rhythm to it. “fOoL fOr YoU” gives off a ‘Beatles ballad’ vibe all while showcasing Malik’s powerful falsettos and soulful voice.

“BeFoUr” is rumored to question Malik’s past with UK group One Direction with post chorus lyrics “I’ve done this before, not like this, not like this”. Malik has admitted to not having much creative expression while in the band. The song title also has a pun because FOUR was the last One Direction album Malik was featured on before his departure and now there are only four remaining members of the group.

Over all I’m obsessed with this album. It’s a perfect blend of lyrics, music production, and culture.This album proves his talent as a writer and a performer and his talent should not be taken for granted. . Zayn Malik’s debut solo album Mind of Mine is anything but a disappointment.