Reviews by ExposingSMG: Mind of Mine
Mind of Mine is Zayn Malik’s debut studio album as a solo artist after splitting with One Direction. I liked One Direction’s music so let’s see how Zayn’s solo work is.
Quality
1. MiNd Of MiNdd (Intro)
This is just an introduction to the album. Zayn is just singing some really high notes and saying “Open up and see what’s inside my mind of mine.” I like it. It’s pretty short. Creative introduction.
2. PILLOWTALK
When I first heard this song, I was like what is wrong with him and his enunciation? His enunciation was fine in One Direction, what happened? So I looked up the lyrics and when I got pass that, I grew to love the song. It’s such a different sound for him and I feel like that established his break from One Direction and differentiated him from the sound he used to make with them. It’s truly a great song.
3. iT’s YoU
When I first played this song, I immediately loved it. I literally turned to my sister Alana and said “Is this what fire sounds like?” It showcases Zayn’s soothing vocals with a nice steady beat. If you’re stressed out, listen to this song and watch the gif below. I guarantee you’ll feel better. If you don’t, don’t sue me. I’m not a licensed doctor.
4. BeFoUr
This song is the type of song to come on while I’m shopping in H&M. I’m not saying that in a bad way but this song is like a shopping song. If I was shopping, I’d play this song. It also has a poppin’ chorus.
5. sHe
This is a cute song with a nice beat. It’s catchy and is the type you clean your room to. I don’t know why I end up forgetting this song though. It lowkey reminds me of him and Perrie Edwards from Little Mix.
6. dRuNk
I really like the lyrics on this song. It’s the type of song you listen too on a summer night because he sings “drunk alll summaaaaa.” However, I don’t really like this song, I find it annoying. It’s just not my cup of tea.
7. INTERMISSION: fLoWer
I love this! I think it’s some Indian dude singing because I have friends who are Indian and they listen to songs that resemble the guy singing very well. I know that Zayn is Pakistani and if I’m not wrong, both Indian and Paki culture is similar. I like that he somewhat incorporated the sound of his culture into his debut studio album. Anyways, it’s a very peaceful song and I love the guitar playing and the transition into the next half of the album.
UPDATE:
Someone told me that Zayn is actually singing in Urdu! My mistake. The voice was very deep, I couldn’t make that distinction.
8. rEaR vIeW
I love this song. The beat is poppin and Zayn’s voice is amazing. It’s overall a catchy song and it’s not something you would always hear. It’s very unique in my opinion. Lyrically, it’s amazing.
heard about all the things you’ve done and all the wars that you’ve been in
9. wRoNg feat. Kehlani
This is also another great song on the album. Kelani’s voice really compliments Zayn’s voice. This should be a single. It could be the anthem of autumn.
you lookin in the wrong place for my loveeeeeeee
10. fOoL fOr YoU
It took a couple plays for me to remember this song but it’s truly a beautiful song. It’s very calming and Zayn’s voice is so clear. There’s just a nice piano playing throughout the verses and then the chorus hits and automatically I’m taken to a scene from a cute 90s movie.
im a fooooool for youuuuuu and the things you doooooo
11. BoRdErSz
This is another song that you would hear randomly when shopping in a dark looking store like Hollister. It gives you a dark, yet unique vibe. I love the chorus. The beat is so subtle yet makes the song catchy.
12. tRuTH
I feel like this song talks about his past with One Direction. He sings about something not being his dream or scene. Either way, the lyrics on this are very nice and the song itself is very calming. It’s a yes from me.
i wont point any fingers i wont say it was you i will let life take its time
13. lUcOzAdE
I like the beat in this song but I literally have no idea what he is saying. I looked up the lyrics and they seem very deep but he is really not enunciating in this song.
14. TiO
This is one of my favorite songs on the album. It’s straight FIRE. It’s a BOP. It’s such a sexy song with a poppin beat.
15. BLUE
This is a cute song. I find it kind of boring though.
16. BRIGHT
For some reason, I don’t like this song. Most people would like the chorus but I honestly don’t like the beat and I can’t understand what he’s saying.
17. LIKE I WOULD
This song is great. It showcases Zayn’s vocals. There’s barely any music playing through the first verse and then the transition into the chorus is just overall great. The beat is also great. It gives me a futuristic vibe.
Funny story, last night this song was stuck in my head for like 3 hours. I then went to sleep and had a dream that Zayn was my boyfriend and he was type depressed and wouldn’t talk to me about his issues. I don’t even like Zayn like that but yeah thought I’d incorporate my dream in this.
18. SHE DON’T LOVE ME
This song has a poppin beat but I don’t like it that much. The chorus is very repetitive.
19. Do Something Good
This is on the target edition.
I love the beat of the song. The first 30 seconds of this song is just a straight fire beat. This is a very different sound and I like it a lot. The chorus is even more lit. Some trumpet (I think) plays after the chorus and it’s just poppin
20. Golden
This is also on the target edition.
I feel like this song is about his departure from One Direction. It’s overall a great song with beautiful lyrics. There’s a subtle beat throughout the whole song but Zayn’s voice is emphasized more than anything. It’s truly beautiful. I’m not even a Directioner but ya girl gotta hold back some tears
Writing Credits
Out of 20 songs, Zayn co-wrote each and every single song!
Lead Single Performance
Zayn doesn’t perform Pillowtalk live because he doesn’t feel it sounds good, so I’ll review his second single, “Like I Would”
This was a great performance. Zayn sounds amazing. He wasn’t even off key for a millisecond even though the notes are pretty high. I didn’t know he could sing like that. He seemed a little nervous in the beginning but then seemed to get comfortable. At first I was iffy about the production because the song itself is a huge dance bop so I thought he would have had a bigger production set up, but honestly the production he had with all the lights was good enough. The dark stage with the flashing lights were actually a great way to represent the song as opposed to having a huge stage setup with rainbow lights. I feel like he could have interacted with the crowd more, but to my understanding, he does have a lot of anxiety. Zayn has pretty good stage presence and I feel like if he gets more comfortable with being a solo artist, he can be an even better performer.
I like the outfit. It matches the entire stage setup; the dark stage with the lights.
Performance: 4 out of 5 stars.
PR or Damage Control
Zayn hasn’t really suffered any scandals while being in One Direction or being a solo artist.
To be honest, he hasn’t even done much ever since leaving One Direction. The only time he’s ever seen is when he’s getting papped with Gigi Hadid.
Speaking of Gigi, her and Zayn seem like the perfect PR couple.
I mean look at this; very personal photos of them in a hotel that were apparently taken from the paparazzi?
That’s a pretty good shot for someone who’s outside the hotel to see that close in a window.
Then there’s this video that I tweeted on my personal: https://twitter.com/ArgentHearts/status/728053715404492801
Zayn basically tells Gigi to look at him and touch his face while they pose for photos at the Met Gala. I guess they’re trying to take cute photos.
Let’s not forget Gigi being in his debut video.
Their cringe worthy tweets to each other
So they’re a highly publicized celebrity couple. I’ll also never forget when he released the Pillowtalk video and then news reported like days later, that they are now broken up. So are Zayn and Gigi PR?
Well that’s a good question. I know some things about them behind the scenes and what I know, disproves that they are a PR couple. Could they have started off on a contract? Yeah of course. The whole Gigi being in Zayn’s video thing is for PUBLICITY. There’s no doubt about it. Their teams want to get people talking. That’s publicity at its finest. However, they could be a real couple that wants to get publicity at the same time.
So that’s really the only PR Zayn’s in right now; whether they’re fake or real.
Was there damage control taken to kind of cover up the fact that he randomly left One Direction in a very shady way (dropping out of tour)? No not to my understanding. Zayn just chilled for a little while after the news broke. I don’t think his team put any effort around damage control.
This is a fanmade cover.
Final thoughts: Overall, Mind of Mine was a good album. Lyrically, it’s a beautiful album. It has great songs to dance to, cry to, clean your room to, and etc. It’s pretty diverse in my opinion. I feel like Zayn could have let the fans in more by maybe being more personal since the album is called “Mind of Mine.” However, I think it was a great debut to introduce him as a solo artist. It’s a completely different sound from the music he made while being in One Direction. The sound really fits his voice.
4 out of 5 stars.
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