A brief and rather honest vocal analysis of ZAYN and Zhavia Ward’s ‘A Whole New World’ ZAYN ‘A Whole New World’. Picture: Disney By Daniel Ross Zayn Malik and Zhavia Ward’s reimagining of the best song in Aladdin is here, which means it’s time for us to cast a critical eye over what they’re actually singing… The arrival of a reimagined version of Disney’s classic animation Aladdin means that we are now celebrating the unlikely pairing of Alan Menken, Oscar-winning denizen of musicals and stalwart of Disney movie soundtracks, and Zayn Malik, erstwhile One Directioner and professional moody person. Joining them is Zhavia Ward who, like Zayn, was literally not even born when the original movie was released. Despite her impressive career to-date (she’s just 18 and has already signed a deal with Columbia), Zayn was sadly always going to be the headliner in this collaboration. So, let’s get this out of the way: there are some problems here. They’re mostly vocal, and they’re mostly Zayn-related. This isn’t an issue with the quality of Zayn’s voice. As we’ve established previously, his pipes are comfortable enough with ad libs and rattling to the limits of his range. This is an issue with delivery. Zayn’s patented ‘grumpy but also quite sad’ persona demands a moody performance no matter the material, but this is an Alan Menken song from a Disney movie. There’s a perception that songs from Disney movies are steeped in the tradition of classic musicals. There are exceptions, but generally speaking this is a genre in which broad strokes of clear emotion are delivered brashly, so as to wring every possible feeling out of each line. Getting Zayn to sing a song from a musical is like getting a basset hound to tap-dance: though he’s undoubtedly lovely, he’s not cut out for the discipline. What next? Justin Bieber sings ‘I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major General’? Post Malone tackles a Rodgers & Hammerstein medley? On ‘A Whole New World’, Zayn’s every single elongated syllable is basically “errr” or “uhhh”, as if sung through the tiniest possible mouth shape. Listen to their final note, ‘me’ – while Zhavia manages to produce a full ‘ee’ sound, all Zayn can muster up is a ‘mehrr’. This not only suggests a troubling lack of expressiveness for a song which celebrates the untrammelled happiness, exhilaration and wonder of finding new love, but also a lack of direction in the studio. Why did no-one take him aside and say, “you know, Zayn, the line is ‘magic carpet ride’, not ‘mujjy cerpert rerd’”? via Giphy/Disney Zayn’s duet partner, Zhavia Ward, fares much better: her voice is naturally more powerful and athletic, and her enunciation is far clearer. Unlike Zayn, she actually sounds a tiny bit affected by the words she’s singing. Her performative vocal gestures are possessive of much more varied personalities than those of her counterpart, who sounds as if he’d rather be anywhere other than a whole new world. But perhaps the biggest sin committed here is nothing to do with Zayn and Zhavia: this is purely down to whoever arranged this particular version of the song. In the original version sung in the movie by Brad Kane and Lea Salonga, you’ll hear a stunning key change at the song’s midpoint, heralded by a huge vocal leap from Kane which transports the song into another tonal vocabulary completely. In Zayn and Zhavia’s version, bizarrely, the huge leap from Zayn is there, but the key change just… doesn’t happen? It’s the ultimate ‘lost my sneeze’ feeling, and will genuinely confuse anyone singing along. In the end, the success of this new version of a Disney classic rests on many different thing. Issues of nostalgia can be ignored: there’s likely to be a whole new audience for this whole new world. Also, this isn’t the first time a Disney film has been reimagined, and audiences are used to updating the classics. But the technicalities of the performance are potentially derailing. Can you really, honestly say that Zayn Malik sounds like he’s in love? Can you actually work out what he’s saying in the song? The essence of a vocal work’s success depends so much on clarity of expression: that’s true whether you’re Zayn Malik singing an Alan Menken song or Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau singing Schubert lieder.<doc-sep>ZAYN and Zhavia Ward come together to remake a classic. The former OneDirection member and finalist from Fox’s “The Four” cover “A Whole New World,” the theme song from Disney’s upcoming live-action reboot of Aladdin. On their shining, shimmering, splendid collaboration, ZAYN takes on the role of Aladdin, while Zhavia plays Princess Jasmine, putting a modern-day spin on the Oscar-winning ballad from the 1992 animated film. “A whole new world / A new fantastic point of view,” sings ZAYN. “No one to tell us no / Or where to go / Or say we’re only dreaming.” Along with the song, which appears in the movie’s end credits, the two teamed up for a magical video, directed by Philip Andelman. “Zayn’s vocals are like no other and his artistic imprint immediately brought a contemporary and diverse presence,” said Mitchell Leib, president of music and soundtracks for Walt Disney Studios. “Additionally, Zayn could have chosen any artist in the world to collaborate with on the duet, but he personally selected Zhavia for her unique perspective, powerful vocal abilities and to platform a talented new artist, ensuring that the audience could discover this song, again, for the first time.” The soundtrack, which was composed by Alan Menken, will also feature Will Smith, who plays the genie in Aladdin, and DJ Khaled on a remake of “Friend Like Me,” while Naomi Scott, who plays Jasmine, has recorded an original song called “Speechless.” Aladdin hits theaters May 24.<doc-sep>Take a look, if you will, at the brand new video Zayn and a female duet partner star in for the theme from “Five Hundred Fifty Shades Darker” … sorry, Disney’s live-action remake of “Aladdin.” The kind of woozy arrangement they’ve come up with for the classic “A Whole New World” sounds like it’d be at least as suitable for a blue movie as a romp about a blue guy. Which is maybe why the two stars aren’t allowed to get together on screen: Would it get too E. L. James-ian, if they did? Zayn (sorry, style guidelines prohibit us from the all-caps stylization, although we will pretend to have forgotten his abandoned last name) pairs up here with Zhavia Ward, because in securing talent for the tune, they started at the end of the alphabet and didn’t work frontward. Or maybe because someone realized that, as cute couples go, these two are destined to have the greatest monogrammed towels ever, if Zorro doesn’t make off with them during the engagement party. Or possibly there won’t be any parties, because these two never actually get together in the video. They sing the Alan Menken/Tim Rice classic not from a shared flying carpet but from atop separate skyscraper precipices, making it feel a little like a remake of “Sleepless in Seattle” that cuts off before the last five minutes. Has there always been such a hidden undercurrent of sheer longing in the song? The lyrics do say “No one to… say we’re only dreaming,” but maybe the would-be lovers have always protested too much? The sultry dreaminess of this updated arrangement, which takes the adult-contemporary classic just a little closer to an after-hours Mickey Mouse Club, reinforces that this is a flight of fantasy two solitary souls are sharing, never to be conjoined. Or perhaps their schedules didn’t coalesce… No, definitely yearning. Zayn, of course, you know from One Direction, and also from “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever,” in which he secured top billing over Taylor Swift. (Never mind Donald Trump or any other tycoon — this kid is the all-time Great Negotiator.) Zhavia Ward, of course, you know from her ascendent candidacy on the Fox show “The Four: Battle for Stardom”… which, okay, is why you probably don’t know her at all. Together, they might smolder. Individually, they are left to pine. “Don’t you dare close your eyes,” but what they really mean is, this dream of true love will vanish if we open them. This might be the saddest song ever.<doc-sep>Just like that, all our music dreams have come true. Zayn Malik linked up with ‘The Four’s’ Zhavia Ward for a duet, & it’s the Disney magic we didn’t know we needed. Zayn Malik’s return to music is just as magical as we hoped it’d be. The former One Direction member just dropped his first song of 2019, and it’s a stunning cover of “A Whole New World” from the Disney classic film, Aladdin. The best part? He linked up with The Four fan favorite alum Zhavia Ward, 18, for the song, and well – these two are a DREAM duo. Needless to say, fans are already obsessing over the new song and video. “Zayn and zhavia took the title track of aladdin to the next level, dare i say, to A WHOLE NEW WORLD,” one fan wrote on Twitter after listening. “ZAYN AND ZHAVIA KILLED IT,” another gushed. “So dreamy 😍 #AWholeNewWorld,” yet another raved. The poignant cover is just one of the standout tracks from the new Aladdin soundtrack. With the help of Will Smith, 50, the classic Disney film is getting the ultimate modern update. The flick is being transformed into a live action movie and judging from the trailer, it’s going to be e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-ng! The film is due out on May 24. Of course, Zhavia is slaying the solo game all on her own, and HollywoodLife caught up with her for an EXCLUSIVE interview about all of her amazing projects. After the release of her sultry single, “100 Ways,” she told us where she found the inspiration for the track. “The song is about how in my life, and how no matter what obstacle or thing has stopped me from getting to where I want to be, I find a way to get there,” the songstress revealed. Be sure to watch her new video with Zayn, above!<doc-sep>
With Disney‘s live-action Aladdin revamp arriving at the end of the month, it’s only fitting that ZAYN and Zhavia Ward have drop their “A Whole New World” remake along with an accompanying video. As one of the standout singles off of the original Aladdin soundtrack, both ZAYN and Zhavia have added a more soulful take to Saltwives- and Alex Oriet-produced track. “The selection of artists, producer and tonal direction was critical for the success of updating a classic song like this,” said Mitchell Leib, president of Music & Soundtracks for the Walt Disney Studios. “ZAYN’s vocals are like no other and his artistic imprint immediately brought a contemporary and diverse presence. Additionally, ZAYN could have chosen any artist in the world to collaborate with on the duet, but he personally selected Zhavia for her unique perspective, powerful vocal abilities and to platform a talented new artist, ensuring that the audience could discover this song, again, for the first time.” In the supporting video directed by Philip Andelman, the pair can be seen long-fully singing in the streets of New York City. Watch it above. The original ballad received an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award and GRAMMY Award, amongst others back in 1992. ZAYN and Zhavia’s rendition of the song will be featured during Aladdin‘s end credits and on the film’s soundtrack. The digital soundtrack is set for release on May 21 at 9:00 p.m. PT and will be followed by the physical album on May 24. Look for Aladdin to release memorial weekend on May 24. For more upcoming films to catch, these are the must-see movies and TV shows premiering in May.