Guys, this has been the most incredible week for pop culture, am I right? Remember last week? What a waste of time. Can you believe it’s still January? I can’t, because this has seemed like the longest month of all time that has no idea when to leave the party and you’re like, “Please go — I need to go to bed.” And it’s like, “No.”
Ugh.
But okay this week, man alive. First, Kanye’s meltdown. Then, new Rihanna. Now? New Zayn. New beautiful, wonderful Zayn. Zayn Malik, formerly of One Direction. Do you hear me? ZAYN.
Last night, the former 1D member (last 1D shout-out, I promise) released “PILLOWTALK” (all caps) along with a video that features his girlfriend, Gigi Hadid (who at one point cries blood). It’s all very good, all very artsy, and all very worth the hype, if I do say so myself.
“Once they hear it, I feel like they will understand me a little bit more,” Zayn said in an interview with Fader last year. “For 10 years, this album has been in my brain, and it’s just been there, sat with me, needing to be out.”
So when do we get the album, officially titled “Mind of Mine”? March 25. [Pause for dramatic effect] Sound familiar? [Pause a little longer] That’s because March 25 is also the day — last year — when Zayn peaced out of One Direction.
Oh
No
He
Did
NOT
Oh, he did. And while the “PILLOWTALK” press release didn’t include a winking face Emoji, it did include a quote from Malay, the producer who worked with Frank Ocean, who described Zayn as a “pure genius.”
“An artists’ artist,” he continued. “A shining star with a genuine heart.”
So bring it on. I’m ready. I’m maybe not ready for the same video as the one we got for this particular single (there’s a lot happening, you guys — flowers censoring certain things, and a lot of “effects,” I’ll say that much), but I’m ready to listen to Zayn sing into my ear and into my heart and remind me of the way I felt the first time I heard “You and I” a few years ago.
And that’s the last One Direction reference I’ll make (today) I swear.
