Zayn Malik born 12 January 1993, age 18 from West Lane Baildon, Bradford, England. A student at Tong High School. He is of Pakistani descent. His audition was initially not shown, but was shown after the series ended on companion show X Factor. Malik was noted for becoming nervous in bootcamp, and when he was told he had to dance, he decided to remain backstage, effectively running the risk of elimination. Cowell noticed Malik missing from the dance routine and went backstage and convinced him to return.