Zayn was born Zain Javadd Malik[1] on 12 January 1993 in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.[2][3][4] His father, Yaser Malik, is a British Pakistani; his mother, Trisha Malik (née Brannan), is of English and Irish descent and had converted to Islam upon her marriage to Zayn’s father.[3][5] Malik has one older sister, Doniya, and two younger sisters, Waliyha and Safaa.[6] He had an Islamic upbringing, though he no longer identifies as a Muslim.[7][8]
Malik grew up in East Bowling, Bradford, in a working-class family[3] and neighbourhood.[9] He attended Lower Fields Primary School and Tong High School (now Tong Leadership Academy) in Bradford.[10] As a teenager he took performing arts courses and appeared in school productions.[11] He grew up listening to his father’s urban music records, primarily R&B, hip hop, and reggae.[9] He wrote raps when he was at school,[12] and sang on stage for the first time when singer Jay Sean visited his school.[13] Malik also boxed for two years, from the age of 15 to 17.[14] Before beginning his music career, he had planned to pursue an academic degree in English in the hope of becoming an English teacher.[15]
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