Tuesday, October 8, 2024

One Direction Down: Zayn Malik in Career Free Fall as Second Single in a Row Fails to Sell, Chart

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I don’t know what happened to Zayn Malik. The first member of One Direction to leave the group was also first to release a solo record, “Pillowtalk,” and a hit album.

But now Zayn seems to be in a career free fall. His new single, “Sour Diesel,” a terrific slice of funk, was released last Friday and is dead on arrival. According to Buzz Angle, “Sour Diesel” has sold 2,200 copies so far. It hasn’t even appeared on the iTunes top 50.

This makes no sense. A recording star with half of Zayn’s recognition level would send a new song up the charts upon release in this day of streaming.

But this isn’t Zayn’s first flop. A single called “The Entertainer,” made it to number 95 somewhere in May. “The Entertainer” has sold 36,800 copes since May 23rd.

Malik has had a pretty tough time being a celebrity and a functioning recording artist. He suffers from anxiety and depression, reportedly, and doesn’t tour. On top of that, in April his manager Sarah Stennett, dropped him. A new album was supposed to be released in June, but it’s never shown up.

“Sour Diesel” is the name of a strain of marijuana. The song is great. The only reason that it could be dead is because Malik is in a fight with RCA over the new album being late. The label clearly hasn’t backed it. It’s also unclear who Zayn’s manager is now. Irving Azoff, this SOS call is for you!

 

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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