When Zayn left One Direction in 2015, he wanted to make a name for himself on his own and go in a different direction in which artistic freedom is encouraged. He succeeded in this with the release of his lead single “Pillowtalk”. The song has already gone on to achieve rare or unprecedented records and achievements such as being only the twenty-fifth song to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, being the first debut single to debut at #1 in the UK, and having the largest drop from #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, dropping to #7 in the following week. In this electro-R&B rhythmic ballad, Zayn’s impressive vocals shine through more than they ever have before, putting him on another level vocally than his peers such as One Direction, Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes, despite he being no Adam Lambert or Sam Smith. It seems like Zayn’s vocals were clouded by the multiple other voices in One Direction back when he was still in it. Perhaps, the type of music plays a role as well. “Pillowtalk” is easily more stellar, interesting and artistic than any One Direction single, although a case could be made for the group’s song “Story of My Life”. However, while “Story of My Life” was featured on One Direction’s third album, “Pillowtalk” will be featured on Zayn’s first soon-to-be-released album, which is titled Mind of Mine. If Zayn is releasing a song as good as “Pillowtalk” in his debut, by the time he releases his third album, he will likely be releasing even better songs after growing as a solo artist over the years; thus, his situation seems promising. While One Direction is releasing songs like the generic “Drag Me Down” and “Best Song Ever”, especially as lead singles, Zayn makes a powerful statement with his innovative “Pillowtalk”, whose bouncy production helps amplify Zayn’s piercing and clear vocals. The powerful, climactic chorus is a favorite of mine as well as his catchy lyricism such as “Nobody but you, ‘body but me, ‘body but us, bodies together” and “in the bed all day”. So, overall, the song may not be the song of the year, but it is an especially strong debut bound to change the perhaps inaccurate conceptions people, such as myself, may have of him as a (former) One Direction member. For instance, I did not see this coming from Zayn because I did not know that he had that much potential. I did not know that he has a voice this powerful and a voice that can suit a song that is not completely Radio Disney kiddie-pop. His full potential unraveled and became extremely evident when he went solo. Some people are simply not meant to be in groups because the group could overall drag them down and personal artistic choices could be clouded to create a unison and cohesion among the whole group. With Zayn’s departure, more unison and cohesion has been established among One Direction and Zayn gets the artistic freedom that he has wanted for years, so the situation could be perceived as one that is a win-win. Keep an eye out, or in this case an ear, for Zayn’s album featuring “Pillowtalk” out March 25.