Former member of the wildly popular British-Irish boyband One Direction, Zayn Malik, has entered the spotlight as his solo career has taken off.

His breakout single, “Pillow Talk,” debuted at No. 1 in over a dozen countries, including the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100, making him the first ever UK artist to debut at number one with their first single.

Ever since he left the band in late March 2015, fans have been skeptical about Zayn breaking out and becoming a solo act given the five years that he put into the band. Although he has received much criticism for leaving the band, his single really resonated with some people.

What really caught people’s attention was the music video, specifically who was in it. Current girlfriend and model Gigi Hadid made a not-so-brief appearance in the video, constantly showing displays of affection towards new beau Zayn, adding onto the already steamy song.

Senior Gelila Reta, who has supported the split from the group, had very kind words to say about the single accompanied by the music video.

“I loved the song and I think that the ‘Pillow Talk ‘music video was really good,” Reta said. “It was different though, I liked it; it was a good start to his solo career.”

Avid One Direction fan senior Hibo Ali, however, was not too ecstatic about the video.

“I thought the ‘Pillow Talk’ music video was a bit extra with all the graphic designs and everything, but I kind of understood it because when he was in the band you could see how graffiti was in his style so that explains the art effects,” Ali said.

In regards to who was in the music video, Ali wasn’t impressed.

“I think that he played himself by making Gigi Hadid a part of it,”Ali said. “I personally wanted to see him and a maybe a different girl.”

In addition to “Pillow Talk,” he released the song “It’s You” which was also accompanied by a music video. Shortly following the release of his second single, the Bradford-born pop singer released his third single, “Like You Would.”

Along with releasing new songs, the solo artist has remixed one of his own singles with rapper Lil Wayne as well as remixing Chris Brown’s “Back to Sleep” with Usher.

For the most part, he has received praise for all of the singles and his new album is highly anticipated, especially by One Direction fans.

“His solo career will definitely be successful since a lot of One Direction fans, like myself, will keep his music on the charts,” Ali said.

Mind of Mine is set to release on March 25.