It has officially been a year since the most tragic event, or at least that is how the One Direction fans like to put it, back in March 25 of 2015, when the official One Direction Facebook account announced that Zayn Malik, 23, was leaving the band. One Direction fans expressed their sadness through dedicatory videos and Malik attended his last concert in Hong Kong, Asia World Arena.

Near the end of 2015, rumors started to spread about Malik working on some new music, after also announcing the break-off on his engagement with Little Mix, singer Perrie Edwards. The wounds of the past have been closed now and Zayn has released Mind Of Mine.

The new album, Mind Of Mine, was released on March 25 of this year-the irony am I right? The events leading up to the release were the debut of his hit single “Pillowtalk” accompanied by a music video on Jan 29. The single contained more of an R&B vibe, and slow tempo and shortly after the album was available for pre order in iTunes.

Mind Of Mine is a very R&B influenced album, with hints of funk, electro, yet smooth. Many of the songs are either romantic or about his journey as a solo artist; during those songs it is easy to feel connected to him in a deeper level. Through this album we are able see his artistic side fully express, nothing holds him back any more. Contributions from artist such as Kehlani Parrish, 20, who is featured in the song “Wrong”; Lil Wayne, 33, was featured in the remix version of “Pillowtalk” were a surprise for the fans.

Malik also offered an exclusive album release party for fans in NYC’s iHeartRadio Theater on March 24. During the 30 minute event he performed “Truth”, “It’s You”, and “Like I Would.” This was followed up by a special performance at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and on the night before Mind Of Mine would drop the release video for song “Befour”, which was filmed in Manchester, England.

The hype continues even after the release of Mind Of Mine, with unexpected face tattoos, magazine covers with current girlfriend Gigi Hadid, 20, and hitting #1 on the Billboard chart on over 70 countries.