Zayn Malik was born in Britain.
Bradford [ ˈbrædfərd ] is in the Metropolitan Borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire , England , in the foothills of the Pennines 8.6 mi west of Leeds , and 16 mi northwest of Wakefield . Zain Javadd `` Zayn '' Malik ( [ 'm ælɪk ] زین مالک ) ( born 12 January 1993 ) , who records mononymously as Zayn , is a British singer and songwriter . Born and raised in Bradford , Malik aspired to pursue a career in music from a young age leading him to audition as a solo artist for the British reality television music competition The X Factor in 2010 .