How Zayn Malik Hit No. 1 When One Direction Couldn't: Analysis
Earlier this week we reported that former One Direction member Zayn Malik scored his first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with his debut solo single, "PillowTalk." The lead single from Mind of Mine, his upcoming full-length, topped the charts after launching online on Jan. 29. The video, which stars girlfriend/it-girl/Taylor Swift BFF Gigi Hadid was released at the same time and has since collected over 60 million views.
It's great, and expected: Zayn is now teetering a line where he will carry the love and devotion of his boy band past to his R&B/The Weeknd–esque future. What's most interesting about this, however, is that One Direction were never able to top the Hot 100. The closest thing came to hitting No. 1 was in 2012 with “Live While We’re Young,” which hit No. 2. Last year, 1D's lead single from Made in the A.M., "Drag Me Down" tapped out at No. 3.
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