Zayn Malik has received widespread praise for choosing an all-female live band for his first-ever solo tour.
The former One Direction star, 31, is 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 loss of voice, the singer is due to finish in Edinburgh in just a few days’ time.
Zayn has previously posted group photos of the group, one of which was taken in May before the tour started.
The star employed seven women to back him up: guitarist Molly Miller, Baby Bulldog drummer, singers Lisa Ramey, Tahira Clayton and Rebecca Haviland, keyboardist Tina Hizon and bassist Ryan Madora.
The seven-woman backing group – nicknamed the Zweeties – has received high praise from many of the star’s fans.
Here we look at the band members…
Zayn Malik has received widespread praise for choosing an all-female live band for his first-ever solo tour
The star employed seven women to accompany him on tour – from a former The Voice star to a university professor
Zayn himself has also previously posted group photos of the group, one of which was taken in May before the tour started
Lisa Ramey
New York-based R&B soul singer Lisa Ramey, 38, is best known for appearing 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 quitting 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 it to 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 quitting to become a solo artist.
Explaining her decision, she said, “I did well in theater, but it wasn’t enough for me. I left the company (health insurance, comfortable salary and security) to become a starving artist. I never looked back.”
She is a vocal supporter of Kamala Harris and was asked to introduce the senator at a major event in New York in September 2019.
Her second album Broken Smile “reimagined the songs and words of civil rights activist Ms. Fannie Lou Hamer.”
Lisa admits the break-up of a bitter relationship has inspired some of her singles, including Vagabond. She said: ‘I’ve been in relationships with a few men who sucked the love and life out of me and then went back to their wandering ways. I was left high and dry and feeling quite stupid.’
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 received a PhD in Musical Arts in 2016 and is a professor of studio guitar at the University of Southern California and chair of the guitar department at the Los Angeles College of Music.
In a 2020 interview, she said, “My experience playing music has shaped who I am today, and knowing that I can provide some of that for others has pushed me to create musical outlets for students.”
“I studied guitar for so long in higher education, my relationships with my professors had an incredible impact.
‘They helped shape who I am today as a person, musician and educator. It is rewarding to now be on the other side of higher education, no longer the ‘student’, but rather the ‘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 and backup singer
Singer Tahira Clayton is originally from Dallas, Texas but now lives in New York.
She has been performing with Zayn since May and is a renowned lead and backup singer. Also in May, she became an ambassador for the National Jazz Museum of Harlem and leader of one of their three house bands.
She is vice president and founding board member of the Women in Jazz Organization (WIJO), based in New York. Tahira has traveled internationally to lecture on her research entitled ‘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 her look as ‘sophisticated teenage skater boy’
Drummer Steph Barker (aka Baby Bulldog) describes her look as “refined teenage skater boy.”
She started Baby Bulldog as a solo project to counter “pop’s unhealthy overabundance of heteronormative narratives.”
She added, “Baby Bulldog is who I am: a masculine, tough person who makes music and writes about women.”
Steph started music at the age of three after her parents bought her a clown-themed plastic drum kit for Christmas.
After playing drums in her high school band in Londonderry, New Hampshire, she attended Berklee College of Music in Boston.
She said: ‘It was during this time that I discovered my independence and was able to express myself as a member of the LGBTQ community. I never really did this in high school, Londonderry is a very small town and wasn’t quite ready yet. In a way it worked out because I put all that confusing energy into drumming and music.”
After Berklee, she moved to New York City and later moved to LA, where she also collaborated with British musician Kate Nash.
Rebecca Haviland
Singer/songwriter Rebecca Haviland has been performing for over 15 years
She is the frontwoman of Whiskey Heart.
Singer/songwriter Rebecca Haviland has been performing for over 15 years and is the frontwoman of Whiskey Heart.
Their self-titled record, released in 2013, received awards in the International Songwriting Competition and Unsigned Only Competition.
She has appeared on TV shows including Ellen and Good Morning America.
Tina Hizon
British session keyboardist Tina Hizon, 32, performed at Taylor Swift’s seven Eras Tour shows at Wembley Stadium this summer
British session keyboardist Tina Hizon, 32, has an incredibly impressive CV.
She performed at Taylor Swift’s seven Eras Tour shows at Wembley Stadium this summer, opening for opener Maisie Peters.
She also played with Dua Lipa, Roger Taylor, the 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 such as Coachella and Glastonbury.
Ryan Madora
After growing up in the Philadelphia music scene, Ryan chose to study Music Business and Communications at New York University
At 6 feet tall, Ryan Madora describes herself as “not the first choice for the basketball team” and admits that she has often said her instrument is bigger than her.
After growing up in the Philadelphia music scene, Ryan chose to study Music Business and Communications at New York University.
Since moving to Nashville in 2012, she has done session work and taught online classes.
In 2019, she published her first book, Bass Players To Know: Learning From The Greats.