Going Solo

Zayn Malik Releases First Track Post-1D

Not long after going solo, ex-One Direction band member, Zayn Malik, has released his first solo single with close friend and music producer, Naughty Boy.

Producer Naughty Boy tweeted a link to the track along with the words “let the music do the talking”.

The track on SoundCloud includes the caption, “There is nothing but love for what was left behind. That’s why we don’t mind. 😉 #zaughty #zinabad.”

The producer tweeted the song hours after having an argument with Zayn Malik’s former One Direction bandmate Louis Tomlinson. Louis accused the producer of “trying to wind the fans up” after he retweeted a video saying “Zaughty will rise”, a reference to working with Zayn.

As the band carries on as a four-piece, Zayn Malik has been removed from the video montage which plays at the beginning of One Direction’s shows.

Speaking to The Sun, the 22-year-old Zayn, he “couldn’t do this anymore” and admitted quitting the band was “crazy and wild and a bit mad.”

“But I’ve never felt more in control in my life. I feel like I’m doing what’s right, right by myself and right by the boys.”

He denied there were any rifts between the band members, saying those claims “couldn’t be more wrong”.

He said: “You know, I did try to do something that I wasn’t happy doing for a while, for the sake of maybe other people. Basically, I’m only upset [because] I feel like I may have let them down.”

“It’s not that I’ve turned my back on them [the fans] or anything, it’s just that I just can’t do that anymore because it’s not real to me.”

Announcing he was leaving One Direction for good, Zayn said, “My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined. But, after five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band. I’d like to apologise to the fans if I’ve let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart.

“I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight. I know I have four friends for life in Louis, Liam, Harry and Niall. I know they will continue to be the best band in the world.”