Ladies, sit down and brace yourselves—breaking news has just come my way, and I’m barely holding it together. This is difficult for me to say, but Zayn Malik—arguably the most attractive man in the world, with the voice of an angel, the body of a Greek god, and an aesthetically perfect face—is leaving One Direction. Yup, you read that right; Zayn is officially parting with the group that has made him world-famous over the past five years, citing stress and wanting a “normal life” as his reasons for leaving. Although this move wasn’t completely unprecedented, as Zayn has always been the loner of the group, it still comes as a tragedy to any Directioner with their priorities in line. I personally will never see the group the same way again, as it just isn’t complete with 20% of the group missing. Here’s a list of reasons why the favorite boy band of the twenty-teens era just won’t be the same without the “Bradford bad-boy”:
1. He’s obviously the most attractive.
As 1D themselves would say, “Nobody Compares” to the beauty that is Zayn’s face and entire presence as a whole. Zayn “lights up my world like nobody else” and countless other fans would agree with me—the other guys can try as hard as they want, but they don’t stand a chance in comparison. Let’s be completely honest—Liam is the dad of the group, Harry’s haircut and wardrobe makes him look like Mick Jagger, Niall faintly resembles Ellen DeGeneres, and Louis…do I even need to say anything? Don’t worry Zayn, if music doesn’t work out for you, there’s always modeling.
2. He’s the badass of the group.
Zayn gives the group an edge that would otherwise make the remaining four look like the Wiggles. With his leather jacket, ‘60s inspired quaff, and general brooding manner, he adds a sense of mystery and intrigue in contrast to the other personalities. There’s a little part of every girl who likes the bad-boy type, and Zayn fills that role perfectly.
3. He’s the best singer by far.
Any well-versed fan of One Direction knows what I’m talking about when I reference Zayn’s solo in Story of My Life or his voice jump in You and I. One could only describe it as soul-warming and goose bump inducing. Even Zayn’s first audition for The X-Factor UK was on point, sending him and the rest of the group all the way to the finals. Without him, the rest of the group would fall short in giving the fans what they want, which TBH is Zayn singing the entire song with just a hushed murmur of the other four as backup singers. It’s okay guys, everyone in the band is equally important! (Yeah, right)
4. He’s the fan favorite
We’ve all had so many good times with Zayn. From screaming his name at the concerts loud enough for your voice box to burst, to almost dying of his cuteness in the Night Changes music video, there’s just no one who could quite replace Zay-Zay. Even if you ask a non-Directioner which member is their fave, the most common response is, “I don’t know their names…but that Indian one is really hot.” Case in point, Zayn represents the rest of the band, and by leaving, the structure of the group will crumble…just like your hopes of ever seeing the man of your dreams in real life.
5. He can actually write songs
While Louis is in the back of the tour bus rewriting Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and twiddling his thumbs, Zayn has actually composed lyrics and melodies that the group has recorded and released. Zayn wrote a verse for the group’s most popular single What Makes You Beautiful and was a co-author of numerous other songs, including Little Things, which turned out to be one of the band’s greatest hits. We’ll miss you, our little Mozart.
Until the gift from God that is Zayn Malik returns to the band for good, I’ll just be here sobbing and listening to Four on loop while making a shrine of his photos and old 1D merchandise…kidding (mostly). I guess for now, Zayn is just headed in a different direction than the rest of the group. I wish you well, Zayn!