Zayn Malik became one of the luckiest teenagers on the planet when - along with four other boys - he was plucked from obscurity to join what would eventually become the world's first billion dollar boy band, One Direction! Since quitting the group in 2015, this Yorkshire-born guy has gone on to make his mark in the world of pop in his own right. Learn all about Zayn's incredible life story as he enters his third decade...

Born to a working class family in Bradford, West Yorkshire, on 12 January 1993, Zayn (legally spelled Zain) Malik grew up writing and performing his own raps and even took up boxing as a teenager. During his school days, he starred in a production of 'Grease' and eventually found the courage to audition for TV's hottest talent show in 2010.

At the age of 17 in 2010, Zayn appeared as a soloist at the auditions for 'The X Factor', where he sang a version of Mario hit 'Let Me Love You'. He advanced to the next round but it was only at Boot Camp that judges Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh decided to put him together with fellow auditionees Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne to create a band that became known as One Direction. As a five-piece, the boys wowed the nation and eventually placed third in the competition behind winner Matt Cardle and runner-up Rebecca Ferguson. Years later, Zayn reflected: "I just thought I'd give it a shot and see how far I can get."

Despite finishing in third place, 'X Factor' boss Simon Cowell had big plans for One Direction and immediately after the show finished, they were offered a record deal. The boys' debut single 'What Makes You Beautiful' propelled them to global success and thanks to a string of monster albums, tours, merchandise lines and a movie, the boys had raked in £1 billion by the end of 2013.

In 2011, Little Mix became the first group to win 'The X Factor' and that same year, Zayn began dating member Perrie Edwards. The pair got engaged two years later but called the whole thing off in 2015. Despite rumours that Zayn had ended it in a text message, he later insisted: "I love her a lot, and I always will, and I would never end our relationship of over four years like that. She knows that, I know that, and the public should know that as well. I don’t want to explain why I did what I did, I just want the public to know I didn’t do that."

Zayn met supermodel Gigi Hadid in early November 2015 at a Victoria's Secret party. The pair struck up a relationship and were one of Hollywood's biggest on/off couples, before finally calling it quits for good just before the end of 2021. The pair are parents to daughter Khai - who was born in September 2020 - and Zayn later said of fatherhood: "It's a really different pace of life, but it's been really easy to adjust to it, for sure. I think that's the most surprising thing."

Being in the world's biggest band eventually took its toll on Zayn's mental health and he quit the band in early 2015 so he could "live a normal life". The remaining boys continued as a quartet for their fourth album but have been on hiatus since August 2015. Zayn later said of his decision to leave 1D: "I never really wanted to be there, like in the band. I just gave it a go because it was there at the time ... I instantly realized it wasn’t for me, because I realized I couldn’t put any input in."

Zayn did not let the grass grown under his feet, and by 2016 was gearing up to release his first solo single 'Pillowtalk' and debut solo album 'Mind of Mine', both of which went to number one in both the UK and the US, making him the first male artist to achieve such a feat. He later described the experience of going solo as "fully liberating".

As well as music, the 'Still Got Time' hitmaker has branched out into fashion and made his debut on The Business of Fashion's annual BoF500 indexin 2016. He has also modelled for Versace and Penshoppe. After trying his hand at designing shoes, he said: "I like to express creativity in as many different ways as possible and I’m always exploring new things."

While the 'Night Changes' hitmakers appeared to have been the best of friends on stage, Zayn later revealed that he doesn't really speak to his former bandmates anymore despite several rumours over the years that a reunion may be on the cards. He said: "Everybody grows up - two of the guys have got kids now. But no, I don't talk to any of them, really."

Zayn has packed a lot into his 30 years so far but admitted that as he is getting older he is sticking to his own "bubble". He said: "I don’t tend to go out much. I stick to my own bubble, as it is. Creatively and socially, I think, as I’m getting older, that’s just the way I am." But from his humble beginnings in England to becoming a multi-millionaire pop star before the age of 20, perhaps he has earned a break. Happy birthday, Zayn!