Two days before the anniversary of Zayn Malik’s departure from the hit boy band One Direction, Sony held a Gainesville listening party for his first solo album.
“Mind of Mine” will be released Friday, but fans of the 23-year-old Bradford, England, native received an exclusive playthrough at The Swamp Restaurant on Wednesday night.
About 15 guests listened to the new tracks through headphones and colored Zayn-themed printouts.
Rebecca Kravetz, a college marketing representative for Sony, said she helps coordinate similar events each month.
“It’s a little different this time because he’s already a huge artist and huge in pop culture,” she said.
The ex-One Direction member, Zayn, released his first single, “Pillowtalk,” in January.
The song debuted No.1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, and the music video has garnered over 254 million views on YouTube as of press time.
“I think there’s so many people who are interested in this release and what’s to come,” Kravetz said.
Kaleigh Smyrk, who became a fan of Zayn during his time in One Direction, said the album sounds more edgy and soulful than his past work.
“I’ve only heard three songs so far but, they’re great,” the 21-year-old said. “You can tell he wasn’t super happy with One Direction, but I’m happy he’s able to create his own sound now.”
While mostly established fans comprised the event, some new listeners attended as well.
Diego Sanchez, 20, said he might be a fan of Zayn after listening to the new album.
“It has a seductive vibe and it’s kind of promiscuous,” he said. “The production of the song (Pillowtalk) is really ingenious and catchy.”
