While many might have been concerned for Zayn Malik's future following his departure from One Direction, it seems the 23-year-old star is doing just fine now that he's gone solo. His debut single 'Pillowtalk' has already made musical history by becoming the first ever song to debut at number one in the US from a UK artist.

Zayn MalikZayn Malik makes history with Pillowtalk

'Pillowtalk' has sailed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 as well as the UK Singles Chart and many others including On Demand Songs, U.S. Digital Songs and Spotify Global. It was released on January 29th 2016 and sold 267,000 copies in its first week, with 22.3 million official streams. That's also made it the fastest selling single of 2016 so far, though obviously that doesn't mean that much as we're barely into February. Nonetheless, he's beaten his former bandmembers to the top of the US charts which is quite a feat in itself; while One Direction have broken numerous records in their career and are still the top pop group in the world, they've only ever managed to get as high as number two in the US, with their 2013 single ironically titled 'Best Song Ever'.

The racy lyrics to Malik's popular new R&B tune certainly mark an attempt to reach a wider demographic, it's a world apart from the teenybopper friendly tunes of One Direction and this 'new direction' of his has definitely been ultimately successful. Even Malik himself can't believe it! 'What is gwaning [going on]!' He told his fans on Twitter. 'I can't explain the love and gratitude I feel today, thank you for making this happen.'

More: Watch the video for 'Pillowtalk'

The video for 'Pillowtalk' has also been a hit; a raunchy visual directed by Bouha Kazmi and chock full of sexual imagery. It also stars his new girlfriend, model Gigi Hadid, in only her latest music video - she has previously appeared in videos for her ex-boyfriend Cody Simpson's 'Surfboard, Miguel's 'Simplethings' and Calvin Harris' 'How Deep Is Your Love'.

Zayn Malik's debut solo album 'Mind Of Mine' is set to be released on March 25th 2016 through RCA Records and he will mark his first live TV performance as a solo artist on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' on February 17th.