See Gigi Hadid Twin With Her “Lil Bestie” Daughter Khai in Rare Update
At just 5 years old, there are many directions Khai Malik's life could go. And should she not choose to follow in mom Gigi Hadid's very fashionable footsteps, perhaps she'll create the best song ever.
"She's not expert-level, but she's got a bit of rhythm when she's hitting the drums and stuff," dad Zayn Malik shared during a 2024 appearance on The Zach Sang Show. "You can tell that she could definitely develop that into something."
Not that the One Direction alum wanted to take all the credit for his preschooler's skills.
Because when he and Gigi dated on and off up until their 2021 split, she used to best him at Guitar Hero "all the time," Zayn admitted. "I'm the musician and she beat me at this game!"
As for Khai's ability to hit all the right notes, "She knows whole songs, word for word," he marveled. "She sings them fully and she doesn't miss a lyric. She's crazy. She can run stuff too, like little trills—three, four notes in one take."
And while he's all about fostering that interest, taking Khai to a TWICE concert in March and a Blackpink show last July, for now, he and Gigi are focused on letting her live while she's young.
Admittedly, "I'm raising her in an environment that isn’t the same as everybody's," he acknowledged during his February appearance on Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy podcast. "Her dad is a pop star. Her mom is a model, and certain things that she does in life might not always reflect what other people’s understanding of reality is."
Take her first visit from the tooth fairy.
"I think I gave her a bit too much money," Zayn allowed on Call Her Daddy of the $500 he slipped underneath Khai's pillow. "It's her first tooth! Her mom gave me s--t for it, but at the end of the day, I work my ass off and I should be able to give my kid what I want to give her."
Though for her next tooth, "She gets $5. The Tooth Fairy’s gone broke now, so I’m not giving you anything else."
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
For Gigi, who began walking runways for the likes of Marc Jacobs, Chanel and Victoria's Secret at age 18, the most important gift she can bestow upon her daughter is some semblance of normalcy.
That's why she's made the decision for Khai to keep a low profile on her Instagram page and other social media platforms.
"Our wish is that she can choose how to share herself with the world when she comes of age," the model, celebrating her 31st birthday April 23, explained to her 75 million-plus Instagram followers back in 2021, "and that she can live as normal of a childhood as possible, without worrying about a public image that she has not chosen."
And though Gigi, who's been dating Bradley Cooper since 2023, still maintains a New York City penthouse, she spends most of her time at the Pennsylvania farmhouse she purchased some two hours away.
Both she and Zayn agreed the rural town "would be a great place to raise a child because there's so much for her to do here," the musician told L'Officiel magazine in March 2024. "So, we do spend a lot of time outside."
Though Gigi takes pains to obscure her daughter's face, her Instagram feed is filled with snaps of their al fresco adventures, including horseback riding, water play and exploring in a nearby creek.
"I think when you are a parent, you have to be intentional because, now, I literally have half the time," Gigi explained to NET-A-PORTER in 2023 of setting her co-parenting schedule with Zayn months in advance. "I work when my daughter is with her dad, and that's the time I have."
Though she's been known to occasionally mix business with pleasure.
"Khai and her best friend are our fit models," Gigi shared of her Guest in Residence brand's kid's collection. "They come into the office, Khai tries on one dress and then she's like, 'Do you want to go to the donut store?'"
Quite simply, life with her mini-me is a constant serving of sweetness, swears Gigi.
"She has already given me so much," she told The Sunday Times in 2023. "I always wanted to be a mom, but I was never obsessive about it or [thought that] I was put on this Earth to be a mom."
But there's no doubt Khai is her world. Check out all the ways she makes life feel like heaven on Earth.
Instagram / Gigi Hadid
Game On
Instagram/Bella Hadid
Life's a Beach
Instagram/Zayn Malik
Daddy-Daughter Duo
Instagram / Gigi Hadid
Little Rider
Instagram/Bella Hadid
Mama's Girl
Instagram/Bella Hadid
With Aunt Bella
Instagram/Bella Hadid
Angels
Instagram/Bella Hadid
Horsing Around
Instagram/Bella Hadid
Building a Dream
Instagram/Gigi Hadid
Snuggle Season
Instagram/Gigi Hadid
Let's Play
Instagram/Gigi Hadid
Nailed It
Instagram/Gigi Hadid
Let Her Eat Cake
Instagram/Zayn Malik
Making Memories
A Reason to Smile
Bella and Me

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