Upon auditioning for The X Factor, Malik stated that he was "looking for an experience". He sang " Let Me Love You" by Mario as his audition song and was accepted into the next round. On the morning of the audition, Malik became nervous and did not want to attend, but his mother eventually forced him out of bed and coaxed him into going.
In 2010, 17-year-old Malik auditioned in Manchester for the seventh series of reality television competition The X Factor. One Direction greeting fans in Stockholm, Sweden, May 2012 Career 2010–2015: The X Factor and One Direction Before beginning his music career, he intended to pursue an academic degree in English in hopes of becoming an English teacher. Malik also boxed for two years, from ages 15 to 17. He wrote raps when he was at school and sang on stage for the first time when singer Jay Sean visited his school.
He grew up listening to his father's urban music records, primarily R&B, hip hop, and reggae. As a teenager, he took performing arts courses and appeared in school productions. He attended Lower Fields Primary School and Tong High School (now Tong Leadership Academy) in Bradford. Malik grew up in East Bowling, Bradford, in a working-class family and neighbourhood.
He had an Islamic upbringing, although he no longer identifies as a Muslim. Malik has one older sister, Doniya, and two younger sisters, Waliyha and Safaa. Zayn Malik was born Zain Javadd Malik on 12 January 1993 in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England to an immigrant Pakistani Muslim father, Yaser Malik, and a White British mother of English and Irish descent, Trisha Malik (née Brannan), who converted to Islam upon marriage.