Zayn Malik on the cover of PAPER Magazine.
Courtesy of PAPER Magazine / Photography by Paola Kudacki
Zayn Malik is on the new cover of Paper magazine’s summer 2016 “sexy” issue, and the One Direction member-turned-No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 charting solo artist reveals his new sexual sound and look comes from wanting to break away from the 1D days.
Zayn even told Paper that he and his fellow 1D bandmates weren’t allowed to dye their hair or grow a beard while in the group.
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“Facial hair was a weird thing,” Zayn said in the interview. “I think it’s ’cause I just looked old. And they didn’t like that. [And] I always wanted a beard! I think every dude does when they’re young. Seeing Al Pacino in Carlito’s Way — I needed the goatee after that. I was like, ‘I wanna be Al Pacino.’ I’ve always been obsessed with that, and I had to shave it off. I used to get a bit sad.”
With the release of his first solo album, Mind of Mine, Zayn moved from teenage pop singer to an adult solo artist. Although Zayn may have transformed in look and sound from his boy-bander style, the singer professed his love for his early fans who have stuck with him along the way.
“I feel like everybody looks for some sort of approval from some form in their life, and my fans are my approval. It’s a sense of achievement that you can’t really explain,” said Zayn. “To still be valuable by yourself is an important thing.”
Read the entire feature on Zayn at PaperMag.com.
All photos courtesy of PAPER Magazine / Photography by Paola Kudacki.