Zayn Malik has received praise for choosing an all-female live band for his first solo tour.
The former One Direction star, 31, will be performing across the UK on his Stairway to the Sky UK tour, where fans have seen him perform in cities including London, Manchester, Leeds and Wolverhampton.
After canceling his show at Newcastle Town Hall on Tuesday due to the loss of his voice, the singer is due to finish in Edinburgh in just a few days.
Zayn has previously posted group photos of the group together, one of them taken in May before the tour began.
The star employed seven women to accompany him: guitarist Molly Miller, the drummer who goes by the name Baby Bulldog, singers Lisa Ramey, Tahira Clayton and Rebecca Haviland, keyboardist Tina Hacen and bassist Ryan Madora.
The seven-woman group, dubbed Zweeties, has earned praise from many of the star’s fans.
Here we take a look at the band members…
Zayn Malik has received praise for choosing an all-female live band for his first solo tour
The star hired seven women to accompany him on tour, from a former The Voice star to a college professor.
Zayn himself has also previously posted group photos of the group together, one of them taken in May before the tour began.
Lisa Ramey
New York-based R&B soul singer Lisa Ramey, 38, is best known for her appearance on the US version of The Voice in 2019.
Lisa’s career began in musical theater in her hometown of St. Louis, but she moved to New York after being cast in a Broadway show before leaving to become a solo artist.
New York-based R&B soul singer Lisa Ramey, 38, is best known for her appearance on the US version of The Voice in 2019, where she was mentored by John Legend but did not make the final 13.
Lisa’s career began in musical theater in her hometown of St. Louis, but she moved to New York after being cast in a Broadway show before leaving to become a solo artist.
Explaining his decision, he said: ‘I did well in theater but it wasn’t enough for me. I left the business (health insurance, comfortable salary and security) to become a hungry recording artist. I have never looked back.
She openly supports Kamala Harris and was asked to introduce the senator at a major event in New York in September 2019.
Their second album Broken Smile ‘reimagined the songs and words of civil rights activist Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer.’
Lisa confesses that bitter relationship breakups have inspired some of her singles, including Vagabond. She said: ‘I’ve dated some men who sucked the love and life out of me and then went back to their lazy ways. I was left high and dry and feeling pretty dumb.
Molly Miller
Academic Dr. Molly Miller has been playing guitar since the age of seven and has recorded and toured with artists such as Jason Mraz and the Black Eyed Peas.
Academic Dr. Molly Miller has been playing guitar since the age of seven and has recorded and toured with artists such as Jason Mraz and the Black Eyed Peas.
Molly earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in 2016 and is Professor of Studio Guitar at the University of Southern California and Chair of the Guitar Department at Los Angeles College of Music.
In a 2020 interview, he said: ‘My experience growing up playing music shaped who I am today, and knowing that I can provide some of that to others pushed me to create musical outlets for students.
‘I was a guitar student in higher education for a long time; my relationships with my professors were incredibly impactful.
‘They helped shape who I am today as a human being, musician and educator. It is rewarding to now be on the other side of higher education, no longer as a ‘student’, but rather as a ‘teacher’, although I learn from my students every day.’
Tahira Clayton
Tahira Clayton has been performing with Zayn since May and is a renowned lead vocalist and backing vocalist.
Singer Tahira Clayton is originally from Dallas, Texas, but now lives in New York.
She has performed with Zayn since May and is a renowned lead vocalist and backing vocalist. Also in May she became an ambassador for the National Jazz Museum in Harlem and leader of one of its three local bands.
She serves as vice president and founding board member of the New York-based Women in Jazz Organization (WIJO). Tahira has traveled internationally to present lectures on her research titled “The Dangers of Jazz: Sexism in Society.”
On her Instagram profile, Tahira displays the Palestinian flag next to the phrase ‘liberation is the goal’, a slogan that represents the Palestinian movement for self-determination and sovereignty.
Baby Bulldog
Drummer Steph Barker (aka Baby Bulldog) describes his look as a “refined teenage skater”
Drummer Steph Barker (aka Baby Bulldog) describes his look as a “refined teenage skater.”
He started Baby Bulldog as a solo project to reverse pop’s “unhealthy overload of heteronormative stories.”
She added: “Baby Bulldog is what I am: a masculine butch person who makes music and writes about women.”
Steph first became interested in music at age three, after her parents bought her a clown-themed plastic drum set for Christmas.
After playing drums in his school band in Londonderry, New Hampshire, he studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston.
She said: ‘I discovered my independence during this time and was able to live as a member of the LGBTQ community. I never really did this in high school, Londonderry is a very small town and I wasn’t quite ready yet. It kind of worked because I put all that confusing energy into the drums and the music.’
After Berklee, he moved to New York City and then moved to Los Angeles, where he also worked with British musician Kate Nash.
Rebecca Haviland
Singer and songwriter Rebecca Haviland has been performing for over 15 years.
She is the leader of Whiskey Heart.
Singer/songwriter Rebecca Haviland has been performing for over 15 years and is the frontwoman of Whiskey Heart.
His self-titled album released in 2013 received awards in the International Composition Competition and the Unsigned Only Competition.
He has appeared on television shows such as Ellen and Good Morning America.
Tina Hacen
British session keyboardist Tina Hacen, 32, performed at all seven shows of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium this summer.
British session keyboardist Tina Hacen, 32, has an incredibly impressive resume.
He performed at all seven shows of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium this summer, playing for opener Maisie Peters.
He has also performed with Dua Lipa, Roger Taylor, Pet Shop Boys, Clean Bandit, Becky Hill and Ed Sheeran.
Tina has performed on TV shows Later with Jools Holland, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Late Late Show with James Corden, The Today Show, X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and at music festivals including Coachella and Glastonbury.
Ryan Madora
After growing up in the Philadelphia music scene, Ryan decided to study Music Business and Communications at New York University.
At 5 feet tall, Ryan Madora describes herself as “not the first choice for the basketball team” and admits that she regularly told him that her instrument is bigger than her.
After growing up in the Philadelphia music scene, Ryan decided to study Music Communications and Business at New York University.
Since moving to Nashville in 2012, she has worked in sessions and taught classes online.
In 2019, he published his first book, Bass Players To Know: Learning From The Greats.