Celebrity Birthday: Zayn Malik

On the 12th of January, Zayn Malik celebrates his birthday.

Born in the town of Bradford, England, Zayn shot to fame when he auditioned for the British version of the TV talent show 'The X-Factor'.

After being eliminated from the contest, he was asked back to continue in a group, together with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson… and One Direction was born.

The boyband turned out to be a huge hit, and multiple singles, albums and world tours followed.

Despite all the success, Malik announced in March 2015 that he was leaving the popular group, breaking the hearts of many Directioners.

But the following year he came back strong, with his solo album 'Mind of Mine' and debut single 'Pillow Talk' both topping the charts.

But his career isn't the only part of his life going in a good direction.

Since 2015, the singer has been dating it-girl model Gigi Hadid, so hopefully she'll be spoiling him on his special day.