What could be more surprising than a global pop star admitting he once “was really rubbish”?

Ahead of his upcoming fifth solo album, Zayn Malik once again sat down for a headline-grabbing interview with Alex Cooper on her Call Her Daddy podcast.

Among other honest confessions, one related to his singing career caught fans off guard.

When the host asked the former One Direction star how he handles being a beginner at something new despite his massive success, Zayn didn’t hesitate.

“That’s why I get into so many weird random things,” the Die For Me hitmaker replied. “I enjoy that feeling. I enjoyed the beginning stage of not being good at something and then seeing the progression, like over the years.”

“Even when I was a little kid in a weird way, like when I was like eight, nine, that was what it was that it taught me about wanting to do music. I wasn’t great. You don’t just come out and you’re amazing at things,” he continued.

The Dusk Till Dawn vocalist reflected on his childhood, revealing that his passion for music didn’t come from instant talent. In fact, he was brutally honest about his early abilities.

“I was really rubbish. I couldn’t sing at all,” he admitted. “I had to work hard and practice and I was quite cute, but it’s definitely not good.”

Instead of fearing failure, the Bradford boy actively chases the challenges and is now smashing it. 

He revealed he enjoys the awkward beginner stage, the part where you’re not good yet, because watching his own progression over time is what excites him most.

The PILLOWTALK chart-topper also admitted he strives for perfection even though he knows it doesn’t exist.

He described the mindset as something that “drives [him] a little bit insane,” but ultimately pushes him further creatively.

Zayn’s revelation is a reminder for all that even the biggest names start somewhere and sometimes, not very well at all.

A hand-painted animation by artist Eeman Masood is being screened every night this February on the iconic billboards of Times Square in New York City, putting a Pakistan-trained miniature painter’s work in one of the world’s most visible public art spaces.

The piece, titled “Listen”, is part of Times Square Arts’ monthly “Midnight Moment” programme. Speaking on Geo News programme “Geo Pakistan”, Masood said the work is displayed nightly from 11:57pm to 12:00am across 96 screens, with February designated as her showcase month.

Masood said her practice is rooted in miniature and watercolour painting, which she studied at the National College of Arts (NCA). During her master’s degree at the University of Victoria in Canada, she said she was able to bring that hand-painted practice into animation with greater access to facilities and support.

Describing the selection process, she said artists can submit proposals, but the final choice is made after multiple rounds of review by panellists. Masood said her work was selected last year, followed by a lengthy process before it reached display.

‘Listen’ reflects what she described as the quiet generosity and endurance of the natural world. The animation features shimmering particles encircling an ancient banyan tree, blurring the line between the earthly and the celestial. 

Masood said every element in the piece, including the peacocks and the banyan tree at its centre, was painted by hand before being animated.

The music for the work was created by her friend Mujeeb, a senior from NCA, who played the flute and santur, with the soundtrack made specifically for the project.

Masood said she has long been drawn to nature not only for its surface beauty but for the “small signs of hope” it offers, cycles of ending and return. 

She linked the banyan-tree motif to a visit to Lahore in 2023, saying she had long heard about a banyan referred to as a “tree of blessing” and was moved when she saw it for the first time. She said its condition appeared poor, with advertisements pasted on it, yet it continued to provide massive shade while people ran their shops beneath it.

COLOMBO: Ticket demand for Sunday’s blockbuster ICC World Cup T20 clash between arch-rivals Pakistan and India has sent Colombo into a frenzy days ahead of the first ball at the R Premadasa Stadium, The News reported.

A visit to the stadium’s ticket booths on Thursday showed long, restless queues still forming outside the counters despite officials saying the match had already sold out.

“We do not have any tickets available for the Sunday match. I don’t know why fans are still lining up,” said one of the attendants at the booth. “The entire 37,000-capacity stadium was sold out yesterday. Most of the tickets were purchased online.”

Interestingly, there was no visible ‘Sold Out’ signage displayed at the counters, adding to the confusion among supporters who had travelled from different parts of Sri Lanka and even overseas in the hope of securing last-minute entry passes.

“We have not received any instructions from the organisers to put up a sold-out notice,” another official at the booth clarified when asked about the absence of public information.

The India-Pakistan cricket rivalry, often dubbed the “mother of all battles,” has historically shattered ticket sales records wherever it has been staged, from Melbourne to Manchester, Dubai to New York. Colombo is no exception. In fact, this is the first time Sri Lanka is hosting a World Cup T20 encounter between the two cricketing giants, making the occasion even more historic and emotionally charged.

Hotels in the city are reportedly operating near full capacity, while airline bookings from Karachi, Lahore, Delhi and Mumbai surged earlier this week. Local transport services and vendors around the stadium are also gearing up for unprecedented match-day activity.

However, where demand soars, opportunists follow.

The black market has already begun operating discreetly around the venue and online platforms. According to local sources, tickets originally priced at Rs 500 are expected to fetch anywhere between Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 or even more on match day.

“You will see a Rs 500 ticket selling for Rs 10,000 on Sunday,” said a local organiser on condition of anonymity. “People purchased tickets in bulk through online portals. Now they will resell them at massive profits.”

Authorities are expected to increase security around the stadium to curb illegal reselling, but experience suggests that controlling the underground ticket trade during an India-Pakistan encounter is no easy task.

For many fans, however, price is secondary to passion. The opportunity to witness Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam take on India’s formidable bowling attack, or to see Indian batsmen square off against Pakistan’s pace battery under lights at Premadasa, is a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.