CHANGE YOUR TAGS TO ZAYN The artist Zayn Malik ("Zayn") (full name, Zain Javadd Malik) was born on January 12, 1993, in Bradford, England. Solo career - on July 29, 2015, Zayn wrote on his Twitter feed that he had signed a solo record deal with RCA. Making the announcement, Zayn said, "I guess I never explained why I left, it was for this moment to be given the opportunity to show you who i really am! #realmusic" - a perceived dig at his former band, One Direction.