Many musicians and performers don’t start out their careers as solo artists. Some don’t even get their start doing music at all, such as artists like Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande, who began their careers through Disney Channel and Nickelodeon as actors. More commonly, some musicians start out in musical groups. Popular artists like Beyonce Knowles and Justin Timberlake both started out in musical groups and have successfully established themselves in the music industry.

Zayn Malik’s departure from One Direction is what triggered the band’s split. Like many artists in the years past, Malik has grown with his musical group but now he’s taking the time to develop his own work that defines himself at this point in his career, which will ultimately take his future in the direction he wants to go in. With his album “Mind of Mine,” listeners are able to get a taste of Malik and the work he has been eager to share.

Malik’s album cover is of him as a little kid, but with all of the tattoos he currently has on his body. Many fans have noticed a resemblance of his album cover with Lil’ Wayne’s album “The Carter III.” Some say he is copying the rapper.

Although it is noticeably similar, it does not exactly mean that he is copying Lil’ Wayne. It is simply artwork and may symbolize the success that Malik hopes to come for his album. The album cover also goes hand in hand with the stage of Malik’s career. He has left One Direction and is fulfilling the goals he has for himself, much like the idea of growing up.

The first solo album is a stepping-stone for an artist and “Mind of Mine” is Malik’s first opportunity to give the audience a look into the ideas and emotions he has created and experienced in the last 23 years of his life.

The former One Direction member put a soulful spin on his album, diving into the genre of R&B. His style and lyrics resemble Frank Ocean and Usher.

He opens the album with the previous hit single “PILLOWTALK” and then transitions to “iT’s YoU,” a slow and soft track. The next three songs, “BeFoUr”, “sHe” and “dRuNK” all have a slow but emotional rhythm and all reference his love life, most likely with Gigi Hahid, the well known Victoria’s Secret model.

These three songs lead into “INTERMISSION: fLoWer.” Many say that it’s a reference to his Persian heritage. It’s a nice change of pace before the second half of the album and gives fans a more personal side of Malik.

Most of the song titles contain an unusual mixture of capital letters or incorrect grammar, coming across as a little confusing and different to the audience. However, some are clever play on words, such as the track “TiO.” Many anticipated this song would be about an uncle, as tio means uncle in Spanish. It ends up being an acronym for “Take it off,” another ballad of love. Toward the end of the album, Malik gets even softer with the track “BLUE.” The piano and high pitch vocals display his feelings behind the song perfectly.

The second to last song, “LIKE I WOULD,” has become an increasingly popular song. It’s a song about past love and his last words for someone that did him wrong. It’s also a clever reference to the track “I Would” from One Direction’s album “Take Me Home: Yearbook Edition.”

For his first solo album, Malik gave a solid showcase of his vocals and the passion behind it. He gave us a glimpse of the person and artist he is becoming and brings the experiences he had with One Direction with him, opening the next chapter of his life.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5