Zayn Malik on Daughter Khai’s Music Reviews: “She Gave Me Double Thumbs Up”
Zayn Malik is opening up about the toughest critic in his life—his 5-year-old daughter, Khai. The former One Direction singer spoke to SiriusXM The Pulse about his latest album, KONNAKOL, and how fatherhood shapes both his personal life and his music.
Khai’s Honest Opinions
Zayn admits it can be tricky to play all of his songs for Khai, especially with some tracks containing adult language or concepts. But when he does let her listen, she doesn’t hold back.
“I don’t want to play [my songs] to her because, obviously, there’s cuss words and stuff in there, concepts [that are] a bit adult,” he said. “She loves my music, and she definitely gives me an opinion.”
He explained her unique rating system: a thumbs up, thumbs down, or sideways thumb, with the combination of a thumbs up and a sideways thumb meaning the song is “pretty good.” For KONNAKOL, Zayn revealed, “She gave me a double thumbs up for a few songs, and there was like a side one for one or two, I think, that she wasn’t really into.”
A Mini K-pop Fan Influencer
Zayn also shared that Khai’s love of K-pop stars influenced his music choices. She’s a fan of TWICE and BLACKPINK, which inspired Zayn to collaborate with Jisoo for the track EYES CLOSED.
“That was kind of a big reason why I did the feature with Jisoo, if I’m being honest. My daughter’s such a big fan, and I wanted to be cool. I got some good dad points for that,” he said with a laugh.
Co-Parenting with Gigi Hadid
Zayn and supermodel Gigi Hadid, Khai’s mother, welcomed their daughter on September 19, 2020, and now share co-parenting duties. Even at five years old, Khai’s opinions are clearly shaping her dad’s music—and maybe earning him some serious “dad points” along the way.