Zayn Malik signs solo deal with RCA
Former One Direction singer Zayn Malik is officially ready to relaunch himself as a solo star after signing a new deal with RCA Records.
Malik stunned fans in March (15) when he quit the hugely successful boyband to live the life of a "normal" 22 year old, but it appears he is not ready to walk away from the spotlight just yet after sharing his latest news on Twitter on Wednesday (29Jul15).
He tweeted, "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 #RCA (sic)!!"
Malik, who had been signed to Simon Cowell's Syco Music as part of
One Direction, then uploaded a black and white photo of himself
putting pen to paper at the RCA offices.
Cowell himself sent his best wishes to the singer via Twitter,
writing, "We have been working on this for a while and I am pleased
to say congratulations to @Zaynmalik on signing with
@RCARecords...
"I believe they are the perfect label for @ZaynMalik’s solo career
and I am sure whatever they release together will be special."
The revelation emerges amid speculation Malik has teamed up with
Grammy-winning producer Malay, who has worked with R&B artists
like Alicia Keys, John Legend and Frank Ocean, to begin recording
his debut solo album.
He is also said to have parted ways with One Direction's handlers
at Modest! Management and joined Turn First Artists, the same firm
looking after Ellie Goulding and Rita Ora, joining the roster of
Iggy Azalea's manager, Sarah Stennett.
Fans of Malik have previously been given a taste of what to expect
after British producer Naughty Boy shared demos of his work online,
but his actions appeared to anger the former boyband star, who
seemingly cut ties with his U.K. collaborator earlier this month
(Jul15) by branding him a "fat joke" for exploiting their musical
partnership and posting song clips without his permission.