Zayn Malik Shares Snapshots of Daughter Khai’s Colorful 6th Birthday: ‘The BEST Time’

For One Direction fans, watching the members grow from boy-band heartthrobs into fathers has been a sweet, heartwarming part of the group’s legacy. And now, Zayn Malik‘s little girl is officially 6.

The former 1D member shared a series of photos from his daughter’s 6th birthday celebrations via Instagram on Tuesday (Sept. 22), giving fans a rare peek into how they celebrated the cute milestone.

The birthday bash took place at American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where Khai and a group of her friends spent the day enjoying attractions including Nickelodeon Universe and Hasbro Arcade. Malik thanked the entertainment complex in his Instagram caption, writing, “Khai’s 6th birthday this weekend!! Big thank you to everyone who made it extra special.”

“The girls had the BEST time!” he added.

Among the photos was an adorable shot of Malik lighting the candles on Khai’s birthday cake as the youngsters gathered around. The celebration featured rainbow-colored decorations, including streamers and a balloon arch, as well as a Squishmallows-themed birthday sign.

Khai’s four-tiered cake continued the theme, with Squishmallows decorating the colorful dessert. Malik also gave a glimpse at some of the birthday girl’s presents, which included a National Geographic bug habitat and a butterfly-growing kit.

He also gave a shout-out to The London Baker for creating the birthday cake, calling it “epic, as always.”

Malik and his former girlfriend, supermodel and entrepreneur Gigi Hadid, welcomed Khai in September 2020, later splitting in October 2021 after dating on and off for several years. Both Malik and Hadid have generally kept their daughter’s life out of the public eye, making the singer’s most recent post a relatively rare look at one of Khai’s celebrations.

Earlier this year, Malik opened up about his relationship with Hadid during an appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast. While discussing their past relationship, he said he would “always love” the model and expressed his respect for her as the mother of his daughter.

“I will always love G, because she is the reason my child is on this Earth, and I have the utmost respect for her,” Malik said at the time.

Hadid has likewise spoken about the way the former couple approaches co-parenting. In a 2023 interview with The Sunday Times, she said she tries to arrange her work schedule around the time Khai spends with her father, adding that having their daughter be able to spend time with both parents makes her happy.