Unfiltered - Lily Collins turns to writing

book review

Book: Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me 
Author: Lily Collins

Not all celebrity memoirs are created equal. The most impressive ones are written by artists who have interesting, intriguing stories and experiences to share, and are willing to candidly discuss tales from their unusual lives. The least impressive ones come from celebrities who don’t have much to say and just seem to be cashing in on their fame by putting together a dull volume.

Lily Collins’ book, unfortunately, falls in the latter category.

The 28-year-old daughter of English musician Phil Collins published her first book, Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me, earlier this year. Part memoir, part self-help manual, the slim volume sees the British-American actress coming up with a collection of lacklustre, trite essays that try to give the illusion of being deep but in reality barely scratch the surface of the subjects they examine.

Collins’ romantic struggles, family issues, and insecurities are briefly mentioned in the book, none in a way that would give you a complete or clear look at any of these facets of her life. She writes about initially being insecure about her eyebrows, dating an addict, being ghosted by her boyfriends, her close relationship with her mother, and her father’s battle with alcoholism, but does not discuss these topics in a satisfying way.

The one issue she does open up about is her battle with eating disorders. The actress struggled with anorexia and bulimia in her teens, and was overly focused on losing weight, restricting what and how much she ate, binging and purging, and even becoming addicted to diet pills and laxatives during an emotionally unstable time in her life. She has since overcome her eating issues, in part by delving into cooking and baking, and says that she makes “progress with [her] disorders” with “every passing day”.

While sharing snippets from her life, the actress also tries to inspire her readers to love and value themselves, encouraging them to “embrace [their] differences as things that make you unique and special”, speak up and be more assertive, be more open and communicative, and turn their shortfalls into triumphs.

But none of her inspirational words ever rises above generic clichés. It’s a relentless onslaught of platitudes and hackneyed, worn out ideas delivered with absolutely no originality or creativity. As a result, everything she says starts to sound like meaningless tripe that does not make an impact on the readers or help them better themselves in any significant way.

If there is any original thought in Lily Collins’ head then she hasn’t bothered to include it in this book. Everything she mentions has been written more eloquently and convincingly in countless books before, and the actress adds nothing new to the discussion. Nor does she give you a particularly candid, close look at her professional or personal life (aside from her battle with eating disorders). If you want a straightforward take on her life as a young woman trying to make it in Hollywood and the daughter of one of the world’s most famous musicians, then you’ll find the lack of details in this book very disappointing. If you want to find out more about her budding acting career, like her experiences from the sets of The Blind Side or Mirror Mirror or how she feels about the failure of The Mortal Instruments series, then this isn’t the book for you as none of that is discussed in Unfiltered. And if you want to read an inspirational tome that encourages you to love yourself, then you’d be wise to pick any of the countless other books that have been written on the topic, most of which are significantly better than this one.

It also doesn’t help that Collins just isn’t a good writer. She doesn’t know how to structure her thoughts or convey her ideas coherently. Even though she is 28 years old, her voice comes off as that of a teenager who is writing for tween readers. Only very young girls are likely to find any of the material in this book revelatory or inspirational, although even the majority of them might find some of the things she says unrelatable. For instance, she writes that when she was studying at school, her mother used to take her to the countries – from India to places in Africa – that she was learning about because “the best way to learn [about different places is] to immerse ourselves in the cultures and experience them as locals do”, and seems oblivious to how privileged her upbringing has been or how unpractical this idea is for the majority of us who simply do not have the means to do so.

Ultimately, all Unfiltered proves is that repeating corny clichés does not make for a compelling read. Only her diehard fans will appreciate this effort as it will give them a quick glimpse at her life and thoughts. Everyone else will be better off giving this volume a pass, as it lacks substance, details, originality, and just about everything that makes a book interesting.

- Sameen Amer

Instep, The News on Sunday - 1st October, 2017 *

Mastering the Art of Cooking

sam's kitchen

Not by Julia Child, clearly 

Disclaimer: The contents of this article are for entertainment purposes only. The author and magazine will not be responsible for the mess you make if you try any of these recipes, which, the writer assures you, are 100 percent inaccurate and result in the preparation of food that is completely inedible.

APPETIZERS 

* Puff pastry bites 

Ingredients:
•    1 cup flour
•    1 stick butter
•    Chopped mixed vegetables
•    1 egg
•    1 pack mozzarella cheese
•    Salt
•    Pepper

Method:
 -    Turn on the oven. Notice that it isn’t working. Call the repairman. Wait for repairman to show up and fix the oven. Pay the repairman.
-    Turn on the tap. See that the kitchen sink is blocked. Call the plumber. Wait for plumber to show up and fix the drain. Pay the plumber.
-    Decide you’re tired and need a break. Turn on the computer. Discover that the computer isn’t working. Call tech support. Yes, it is plugged in. Yes, you tried restarting it. Yes, this isn’t an ID-Ten-T error. Wait for technician to show up and fix the computer. Pay the technician.
-    Spend the next three hours looking for a website that says appetizers aren’t trendy anymore. Decide you love that website, and skip straight to the main course.

* Quick nibbles 

Ingredients:
•    1 pack biscuits
•    1 pack crisps
•    1 pack peanuts
•    1 pack avocado dip
•    Carrots

Method:
-    Go to the cupboard. Take out a packet of biscuits. Taste biscuit. Discover it’s stale. Throw out biscuits.
-    Go back to the cupboard. Take out a packet of crisps. Try one. Gag. Ask who the hell was stupid enough to buy the chilli and beetroot flavour. Throw out crisps.
-    Go to the drawer. Take out a packet of peanuts. Try one. Decide that they're too tasty to share and keep them for yourself.
-    Go to the fridge. Take out the avocado dip. Open lid. Gag from toxic fumes. Read label – NOT avocado dip; actually hummus ... mouldy hummus. Throw out dip.
-    Go back to the fridge. Take out the carrots. Decide that just because there’s no dip doesn't mean you can’t have dippers. Consider suggesting it’s an existential dip and all in the mind. Grin at smug, pretentious suggestion. Look at carrot. See that carrots aren't meant to be that floppy. Throw out carrots.
-    Remember reading on a website that appetizers aren’t trendy anymore. Recall that you loved that website, and skip straight to the main course. Eat another peanut.


MAIN COURSE

* Curry 

Ingredients:
•    1 cup lentils
•    1 medium onion chopped
•    1 sm … ah, screw it!

Method:
 -    Go to your nearest dhaba and just buy a plate of daal. Where’s the sense in spending your time and energy cooking something that is readily available? Be smarter than that!

* Meat pie 

Ingredients:
•    3.14159 kg boneless meat
•    3.14159 cups flour
•    3.14159 sticks of butter
•    3.14159 eggs
•    3.14159 teaspoon spices
•    3.14159 teaspoon salt
•    3.14159 teaspoon pepper

Method:
 -    Take some veal. Stare at the veal. Think about where it came from. Realize this was once a baby cow. You can’t possibly eat a baby cow. Why did you even buy this in the first place? Put away the veal.
-    Take some beef. Stare at the beef. Could this have been the baby cow’s mom? Or dad, you don’t know the gender. You can’t eat someone’s mom or dad. Put away the beef.
-    Take some mutton. Stare at the mutton. Realize this was once a beautiful sheep or goat. Feel sad. Put away the mutton.
-    Take some chicken meat. Stare at the chicken meat. Think of how cute chickens are. Put away the chicken meat.
-    Feed the meats to the cat.
-    Become a vegetarian.

* Stir fried vegetables 

Ingredients:
•    Vegetables
•    Seasoning

Method:
 -    Oh come on! The dish is called “stir fried vegetables”. You take vegetables and stir fry them. You need a recipe for that? Seriously?!


SIDES 

* Boiled rice

Ingredients: 
•    1 cup rice
•    1 cup water

Method:
-    Go to the kitchen.
-    Put some rice in a pan along with an equal amount of water.
-    Place the pan on the stove and turn the heat to medium.
-    Go back to your room and start doing something else.
-    When the smoke alarm goes off, you’ll know that the rice is done.
-    Just take the unburnt rice from the top and serve.

* Salad 

Ingredients:
•    Lettuce
•    Tomato
•    Feta cheese
•    Capsicum
•    Cucumber
•    Avocado

Method:
-    Chop the cheese into small pieces. Eat a few pieces of the cheese to get a good sense of its flavour.
-    Now cut some cucumber. Try mixing it with some of the cheese you just chopped and see how you like the combination.
-    Cut the tomatoes and capsicum. Add these to the remaining cheese, and see how your pallet feels about it.
-    Cut the avocado. Eat.
-    Finish the remaining cucumber.
-    By now you’ll only be left with the lettuce. Chop the lettuce, put in a bowl, and serve.


DESSERTS

* Cake

Ingredients:
•    3 eggs
•    ½ cup sugar
•    1 cup self-rising flour
•    1 stick butter

Method:
-    Gather all your family members in the kitchen.
-    Find a nice, comfortable chair to sit on. Sit down. Make yourself comfortable.
-    Ask your mom to whip together the eggs until fluffy, mix the butter and sugar, and then fold in the flour.
-    Direct your little sister to grease a cake tin.
-    Tell your brother to preheat the oven.
-    Now pour the mixture your mom prepared into the pan your sister greased and stick it in the oven your brother preheated, and leave it to bake.
-    After 30 minutes, ask if your dad could please take the cake out of the oven and place it on a rack to cool.
-    Serve with buttercream along with a generous helping of self-compliments regarding your baking proficiencies.

* Fruit Surprise

Ingredients:
•    Cherries
•    Pineapple
•    Peaches
•    Strawberries
•    Apples 

Method:
-    Open a can of cherries.
-    Open a can of pineapples.
-    Open a can of peaches.
-    Open a can of strawberries.
-    Open a can of apples.
-    Put all the fruit in a bowl. Now add a tin of peas for the surprise. Mix. Serve.


SNACKS 

* Potato cutlets 

Ingredients:
•    You know, cutlets and stuff

Method:
-    Decide that you want to eat potato cutlets.
-    Realize that you don’t have any cutlets. Run to the shop to get some frozen cutlets. Return.
-    Realize that you don’t have any bread. Run to the shop to get some bread. Return.
-    Realize that you don’t have any ketchup. Run to the shop to get some ketchup. Return.
-    Realize that you don’t have any mayonnaise. Run to the shop to get some mayonnaise. Return.
-    Heat the cutlets, put each between two slices of bread with some ketchup and mayonnaise. Realize that you don’t have any soda…and one can’t possibly eat cutlets without soda. Run to the shop to get some soda. Return.
-    Realize you’re super tired from all the running, and take a nap. Wake up. Decide the cutlets are now cold and you don’t feel like eating them anymore. Throw them out.

* Macaroni and cheese 

Ingredients:
•    1 box mac and cheese

Method:
-    Buy a box of macaroni and cheese.
-    Follow the instructions on the box. You’re smart enough for that, aren’t you? Good.
-    Serve.

* Pizza 

Ingredients:
•    Flour
•    Yeast
•    Olive Oil
•    Water
•    Cheese and toppings
•    Salt

Method:
-    Mix flour and yeast in a bowl with a pinch of salt, and then add oil and water.
-    Knead the dough. Then put it back in the bowl and leave in a warm place for an hour.
-    Roll out the dough, put in a pizza pan, add desired toppings, and place in preheated oven.
-    Take out of the oven after about 20 minutes. The base will have become like wood and the toppings will have taken on the texture of rubber.
-    Now get a hammer and chisel, and try to force the pizza out of the pan.
-    When that fails, call the nearest pizza place and order a large pizza, preferably with extra cheese. Enjoy.

- By Sameen Amer 

Us Magazine, The News - 22nd September, 2017 *

Can I Say - the extraordinary life of Travis Barker

book review
 

Book: Can I Say: Living Large, Cheating Death, and Drums Drums Drums
Author: Travis Barker (with Gavin Edwards)

Travis Barker has had an extraordinary life, and it is also quite extraordinary that he is still alive. Not only has the American drummer survived a plane crash, but he has also done just about every reckless thing that you can possibly think of, all of which he talks about in his memoir Can I Say, a candid look at the first four decades of the musician’s life.

The percussionist’s passion for drumming takes center stage throughout the book. Barker’s childhood hero was Animal, the “pure primitive orange insanity” on The Muppet Show, and at age 4, the youngster already knew what he wanted to do with his life: he wanted to be a drummer. He had received a tin drum from his parents on his first Christmas, and subsequently got a full set of drums on his fourth birthday as his parents had started realizing his nascent talent. Drumming lessons helped him hone his skills, and his mother’s encouragement helped him pursue the activity and turn it into a career; one of the last things she said to him before her death when Barker was 13 was to continue playing the drums and follow his dreams. “Keep doing it,” she told him, “no matter what anybody else says.” And he did.

In junior high, Barker joined his first rock band, Necromancy, and subsequently joined and formed a number of groups, most of which did not have any considerable success or last very long. His luck turned with the punk rock band Feeble in the early ‘90s, followed by the ska punk group The Aquabats in 1994, and finally the pop rock outfit Blink-182 which he joined in 1998. Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge recruited Barker after they fired their previous drummer, leading to the Blink-182 line-up that would find massive success following the release of 1999’s Enema of the State. A string of hits made the outfit one of the most popular pop punk acts of the time, propelling them to international fame.

This recognition as well as his reputation for being one of the best drummers in his field subsequently gave Barker the chance to pursue several other projects – including Box Car Racer, +44, Transplants, and TRV$DJAM, all of which are mentioned in the book – and perform with a number of artists from various different genres, as well as establish his clothing line, Famous Stars and Straps, which was inspired by his passion for “skateboarding, BMX, cars, tattoos, rap, metal, [and] punk”.

But while his determination and dedication helped him achieve his childhood dream of becoming a successful drummer, his addictive personality has also caused him a handful of problems behind the scenes. “Everything in my life that I’ve ever had, I wanted in abundance,” Barker writes, and the impact of this statement is visible throughout Can I Say. “If I like something, I get addicted to it,” he states, and his many vices have included drugs, drinking, smoking, and pills; his addictions and slow recovery are chronicled in this book. He also writes repeatedly about his countless sexual encounters, and discusses his two failed marriages – first to Melissa Kennedy, second to Shanna Moakler (with whom he has two kids, Landon and Alabama, who clearly mean the world to him) – although the way he talks about women comes off as disturbing and at times even disrespectful, and the frequency with which the topic comes up starts to get tiring and off-putting.

There are also testimonials from his friends and family members throughout the memoir that add more context to his tales (like when Hoppus and DeLonge share their thoughts about the group’s falling out, for instance) and – when they aren’t being overly flattering – are a nice touch.

The highlight of the book, though, is his harrowing account of the 2008 plane crash and its aftermath. The incident claimed the lives of four people on board, including two of his closest friends; the only other survivor – Adam Goldstein, a.k.a. DJ AM – died less than a year later from a drug overdose. Barker – who was always afraid of flying – writes about the chilling experience and its consequences: he was left with third-degree burns on 65 percent of his body and broke his back in three places; required 26 surgeries; and suffered from post-traumatic stress, survivor’s guilt, and suicidal thoughts. His account of the gruesome ordeal makes for tough yet riveting reading.

The drummer’s life is so eventful and unusual that it automatically makes his book fascinating, but Can I Say – which was co-written with Gavin Edwards – could have been better organized. There are parts of it that feel repetitive, and sometimes the book just jumps around from topic to topic. Still, the biography is chock full of information about Travis Barker and his many musical projects, and fans of rock music – and obviously Blink-182 fans in particular – are likely to enjoy this volume.

- Sameen Amer

Instep Today, The News - 31st August, 2017 *

Baby Driver - an offbeat heist caper

movie review 

Baby Driver 

Starring: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Eiza González, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, and Jon Bernthal
Director: Edgar Wright
Tagline: All you need is one killer track.

When most filmmakers seem content with retreading familiar ground and sticking to tried and tested formulas, it is refreshing to see someone try something a little different. That’s what British director Edgar Wright has done with Baby Driver, a heist caper that plays out against the backdrop of near-constant music.

Based on an idea that the director came up with over two decades ago, the film follows the tale of a getaway driver, nicknamed Baby (played by Ansel Elgort), who listens to nonstop music in order to mask the ringing in his ears which he has had since being involved in a car accident that killed his parents when he was a child.

Baby works as a getaway driver for a rotating crew of rag-tag bank robbers led by Doc (Kevin Spacey), but hopes to leave behind his dicey past after performing one final heist and paying off the debt he owes to Doc for stealing one of the kingpin’s cars. But his escape from the criminal world is short-lived when he finds himself being threatened by Doc and coerced into returning for another heist.

Things don’t go quite as planned, leaving Baby to figure out how to escape his predicament and protect the people he loves – particularly his girlfriend Debora (Lily James), who is a waitress at a local diner, and his deaf foster father, Joseph (CJ Jones).

Baby Driver’s premise may not be very original, but it’s the offbeat execution and eclectic soundtrack that make the film stand out in the well-worn genre of crime capers. Wright has managed to give an old tale a new spin, and has made the project all the more impressive by coming up with well-executed action sequences coupled with good cinematography.

That said, the film, on the whole, isn’t nearly as exciting as one would hope. All too often, it feels like the filmmakers chose style over substance. The movie doesn’t really manage to transcend your typical action film clichés and stereotypes. Also, the female characters aren’t very well crafted. And Wright’s script can be downright corny – there are times when the dialogues are practically cringe worthy.

As for the cast, Elgort isn’t exactly the best choice for an action film lead and is a tad boring in the titular role. And while the supporting cast is terrific – Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, and Jon Bernthal play some of the members of the heist crews in the movie – their characters rarely get to do anything memorable in the film.

On the whole, the latest offering by the Cornetto trilogy mastermind is a fast-paced, well-made action flick that doesn’t quite have the depth to dazzle its audience but still impresses with its esthetics and visuals.

Rating: 3 out of 5

- S.A. 

Us Magazine, The News - 25th August, 2017 *

Sorry Not Sorry - to Glee and beyond: the story of Naya Rivera

book review 

Book: Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up 
Author: Naya Rivera

Say what you will about teen drama Glee, but you have to admit that the series was a terrific showcase for young talent. The musical comedy propelled a number of hitherto unknown performers to global fame, many of whom have continued their journey in the entertainment industry since the show wrapped up two years ago. Among its prominent alumni is actress Naya Rivera, who received praise for her portrayal of the acerbic Santana Lopez, but also gained attention for the drama that appeared to be surrounding both her personal and professional life during and after her time on the Fox series.

The actress has opened up about her struggles and triumphs both on- and off-screen in Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up, a memoir that explores the salient events from her life, from her childhood to the present day.

Rivera talks about her beginnings as a child actress, starting with appearances in advertisements as a baby, and culminating in her first television role in The Royal Family at the age of five when her budding career hit a snag – the sitcom was cancelled after only one season following the death of its star, Redd Foxx (who suffered a sudden heart attack on the show’s set and passed away a few hours later). Despite getting a guest spot on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and a recurring role on Family Matters, the young performer couldn’t land any significant jobs in Hollywood during her childhood, and her acting career had effectively dried up by the end of elementary school.

The actress subsequently found herself struggling with anorexia and was misdiagnosed with depression. Her family also ended up facing financial problems, which further strained her parents’ – “aspiring model” mother and “surfer boy” father – rocky marriage, leading to their divorce when she was 17.

Despite a series of odd jobs – including telemarketing, waitressing, and working in retail – Rivera stacked up a huge debt at a young age that would eventually take her 5 years to pay off, and had almost given up on her acting dream when she was cast in Glee, a little show that would go on to garner massive attention.

She relays the experience of being a part of the series, and says the cast and crew were “just as close-knit and the dynamics just as messy as they were on-screen”. She touches up on her rumoured feud with Lea Michele, saying that they are both “strong-willed and competitive” which is not a good mix; fondly remembers Cory Monteith, expressing her heartbreak at his untimely, “unnecessary” death; and says she isn’t “totally shocked” about her ex-boyfriend Mark Salling’s current legal troubles.

Also discussed in detail is her well-publicised relationship with ex-fiancé Big Sean and the very public dissolution of their engagement, which was quickly followed by her wedding to Ryan Dorsey, who was her husband at the time of the writing of this memoir. Rivera gushes about Dorsey – with whom she has a son, Josey – and tries to depict her marriage in a very positive light even though the couple separated a few months after the publication of this volume.

As with most such books, Sorry Not Sorry is a light, quick read. The prose is simple, although that is to be expected – you aren’t going to pick up a celebrity memoir if you wanted to read quality literature. But the book is fairly adequately written, and the author manages to get her point across in an interesting, engaging way. Rivera comes off as quite candid in the memoir, especially when she openly talks about difficult or controversial topics, like her financial troubles, suffering from an eating disorder, decision to have an abortion, getting plastic surgery at the age of 18, and her identity struggles as a mixed race, “quarter-white, quarter-black, half-Puerto Rican” woman. But this memoir isn’t exactly a tell-all. There are several topics that Rivera could have discussed in more depth. Even when she talks about an issue – like her purported feud with Michele, or Ariana Grande’s role in her split from Big Sean – she doesn’t really offer any proper details. There are several other subjects she could have delved into; for instance, she could have talked more about her siblings or explained why her music career stalled and her debut album never surfaced.

And she could have definitely shared more stories from the set of Glee, since the show's fans are most likely to read and enjoy this slim volume. If you are not significantly impressed by the actress or her best known project, then there isn’t much in Sorry Not Sorry that will pique your interest. But if you’ve enjoyed her work and miss the musical comedy that made her famous, then this book will offer enough titbits to entertain you while inspiring you with tales about the actress’s life and career struggles.

- Sameen Amer

Instep, The News on Sunday - 13th August, 2017 *

The Emoji Movie - utter nonsense

movie review 

The Emoji Movie 

Starring: T. J. Miller, James Corden, Anna Faris, Maya Rudolph, Steven Wright, Jennifer Coolidge, Christina Aguilera, Sofía Vergara, Sean Hayes, and Patrick Stewart
Directed by: Tony Leondis
Tagline: An adventure beyond words.

Every once in a while you come across a film that is so devoid of merit that it feels like it exists just so you can recommend it to someone you hate. That’s what The Emoji Movie is like.

Try as hard as you can to think of something positive to say about this cinematic mess and you’ll still draw a blank.

The story is downright nonsensical. An emoji named Gene (voiced by T. J. Miller), who lives in a smartphone that belongs to a teenager (Jake T. Austin), has one purpose in life: to make the “meh” face whenever he is called upon to make an appearance onscreen in a text or email. But while other emojis have no trouble maintaining their respective expressions, Gene can’t commit to his assigned emotion. When his multi-expressional tendencies show up onscreen and cause havoc in Textopolis, Gene is deemed a malfunction. After the ruthless emoji leader Smiler (Maya Rudolph) orders his deletion, Gene sets out on a journey to become normal, teaming up with the ignored Hi-5 emoji (James Corden) and seeking the help of codebreaker Jailbreak (Anna Faris) who herself wants to escape into the cloud where she can be free.

Or something.

It’s all utter nonsense. Don’t waste your time thinking about the story. The filmmakers clearly didn’t, so why should you?

The script is terrible. There is no humour on offer here; all lame attempts at comedy fall completely flat. There is also no excitement, no suspense. You’d think the writers would at least take the smartphone setting as an opportunity to deliver some commentary or insight into the world’s technology obsession, but no, that would have required effort, when effort is something that was clearly not expended on this film. This derivative mess is so devoid of originality, intelligence, and wit that it makes (the awful) The Angry Birds Movie look like a masterpiece in comparison.

The animation is unremarkable. The character design is underwhelming.

The voice acting is lifeless. T. J. Miller’s part could have been played by just about anyone else in Hollywood and it wouldn’t have made the slightest difference. James Corden’s delivery and character are both grating. The script is so dull that not even human sunshine Anna Faris can make it work. And if Sir Patrick Stewart – who voices the poop emoji in this film – hasn’t fired his agent already, then he needs to do so, stat.

Better animated movies deliver the same lessons more effectively. Young viewers are smarter than this film gives them credit for, and their parents should not have to suffer through mind-numbing dullness just because Sony wants kids to consume more of its digital hogwash.

So the next time you want to exact revenge on someone for an unforgivable slight, just make them watch The Emoji Movie and rob them of one and a half hours of their life. That’ll teach ‘em.

Rating: 1 out of 5

- Sameen Amer

The Express Tribune Blogs - 10th August, 2017 *

Zayn Malik shares his thoughts and feelings in slim autobiography

book review

The 24-year-old singer writes about his time with One Direction, anxiety issues and the influence of Pakistani musician, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
­

Book: Zayn

Author: Zayn Malik

The last six years of Zayn Malik’s life have been nothing short of extraordinary. While competing on The X Factor in 2010, the “mixed-race, Muslim musician from Bradford” rose to instant global fame after he was chosen as a member of what would become the world’s biggest boy band. But he eventually left the group to pursue a solo career in 2015. His departure from One Direction brought him even more fame, and he has managed to channel that attention into a successful solo career. Now the 24-year-old singer has shared some memories from his journey so far in his book Zayn, a collection of thoughts and photographs that shed light on his music and life.

The former 1D vocalist writes about his time with the band, and cites musical differences, lack of control, and exhaustion as his reasons for leaving the group. Zayn says that he wasn’t into 1D’s brand of pop music, and towards the end of his time with the outfit, he felt “more and more desperate to express [his] own style and write lyrics about stuff that [he] really believed in, rather than the melodies and beats that were being made for [the group]”. He sought creative freedom by parting ways with the boys in order to establish himself as a “credible artist in his own right”. The singer discusses the making of his debut solo album, Mind of Mine, the process of recording the music with xyz, MYKL, and Malay, and the inspirations behind the songs.

On a more personal front, there are also snippets about his family, his thoughts on “morphing from a teenager to a young man in the public eye”, dealing with fame, and living the life of a recording artist in LA. Zayn also talks about being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder as a kid, having an eating disorder while he was in 1D, and struggling with anxiety attacks, an issue that led to him pulling out of a performance at Wembley Stadium.

The British artist seems proud of his multi-ethnic background. It is particularly nice to see him acknowledge the influence of Pakistani musician Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s music – which his British Pakistani father used to play in his home – on his track ‘Intermission: Flower’ which is sung in Urdu. The singer also says that he hopes he can one day perform with the late legend’s nephew.

Zayn shares some of his thoughts and feelings in this book, but on the whole, the slim volume leaves you with the sense that the singer is holding back. There aren’t any significant revelations here, and even though this is a short read, it still feels like the writer is using a lot of words to say very little. The book doesn’t really give us an uninhibited look at its subject’s life, nor does it answer the many questions that people may have about its writer. The singer doesn’t talk about the individual 1D members or his feelings towards them. There is also no mention of why things soured between him and Naughty Boy, no details of his breakup with fiancé Perrie Edwards, and absolutely no mention of his current girlfriend, Gigi Hadid.

Of course there are some interesting things in this memoir. It is very compelling, for instance, when he talks about his anxiety issues, plus his experience of going “out in the forest, in the middle of nowhere for two weeks” and working on music there is quite fascinating. But on the whole, the writer doesn’t seem very candid here and omits topics that would interest many readers. His discussions generally remain surface level and don’t quite give you the chance to get to know the real Zayn.

The focus of these pages is primarily on his record, which is why the volume often starts to make you feel like you are reading overlong album liner notes. It makes more sense to look at this project as a companion to Mind of Mine instead of as a standalone autobiography or memoir.

The content is repetitive, and at times comes off as pretentious, especially when Zayn repeatedly mentions that he wants to be “authentic” or when he says how important the idea of his legacy is to him and how seriously he takes his craft. The text is accompanied by lots of (seemingly random) photos of the singer that his ardent fans will admire but that will mean little to everyone else, a critique that also applies to the book as a whole – this project basically targets his fans and will perhaps only be of significant interest to them. Zayn reads like it’s written for teenagers (but it also looks like it’s written by a teenager who thinks swearing is cool and insists on describing everything as “sick”).

On the whole, this short volume paints the portrait of a young artist who is trying to reclaim the control he feels he lost during his five years with One Direction but isn’t willing to openly talk about all his experiences. His admirers will appreciate the chance to read about his feelings, and those who are interested in finding out how his debut album took shape are also likely to enjoy the memoir, but there isn’t enough substance in the book to interest anyone else.

- Sameen Amer

Instep, The News on Sunday - 30th April, 2017 *