When the news broke of Zayn’s departure from British boy-band One Direction, millions of girls, including myself, were heart-broken. I could not imagine One Direction’s future after this devastating blow. However, the group was able to move forward and release an incredible album without Zayn.
On January 28th, Zayn dropped his first single, “Pillow Talk”, along with a provocative music video starring his new “girlfriend” (or so he likes to deny), the lovely Victoria’s Secret Angel Gigi Hadid. The song, rumored to be about ex-fiancé Perri Edwards, tells the story of a relationship that seems to exist on a rollercoaster.
Zayn sings, “Yeah, reckless behavior/ A place that is so pure, so dirty and raw…f*!king you, and fighting on/ It’s our paradise and it’s our war zone”
The risqué music video fits perfectly with the theme of the song. The video opens on a shot of Gigi and Zayn acting as the loving couple, living in their paradise. Images of their cuddles and kisses litter the music video, and are accompanied by images of bouquets of flowers, women in various stages of nudity, flashing backgrounds with differing visual effects along with scenes shown in different colors.
While the video may be deemed inappropriate and somewhat graphic, it executed the message of Zayn’s song perfectly. These factors contribute to the theme of the craziness that accompanies a sexual encounter.
Gigi Hadid proves once again, that she is absolute perfection. From her hair, to her make up, to her clothes, everything about her in this music video is on point. She plays the perfect female lead.
While my feelings regarding his departure from One Direction remain unresolved, Zayn has proven that he can stand-alone in the world of music. I hope to see a long career from the former Directoner.