“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 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,” Zayn Malik said in a statement issued by One Direction on their Facebook page, announcing that the heartthrob is officially quitting the band.
The statement also stated that the other boys will continue on as a band without Malik and record their 5th album, as well as Simon Cowell, who expressed his admiration and regret.
Shortly before quitting the band, Malik was “signed off” from the band’s current world tour on March 19th due to stress. He is now receiving praise from psychologists for admitting to the toll that stress has taken on him. Dr. Sandi Mann, a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Central Lancashire, commented that living in the public eye presents an enormous strain.
“It is also harder to admit you are not coping – it is hard for anyone to admit that, but when you are such a public figure, you know that the intense interest that such an admission will generate will be massive. Stress and mental illness health are major issues today, especially with young people. We need to teach young people to cope with stress and mental health problems in schools so I hope this will help raise awareness for young people to the general public,” said Mann in a statement posted by The Independent.
The other boys, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan, took to their Twitter pages to express their grief. While Horan mentioned that it has “been a mad few days,” Tomlinson assured fans by letting them know that “we are going to work harder than ever to deliver the best album we’ve ever made for you guys.” As for Styles, he kept it short with “All the love as always. H.” But it was Payne’s post that got every fan emotional.
In a long statement, Payne expressed, “For the past five years now I’ve been part of something so special I don’t think any of us really understand, something that can mean the world to people and put a smile on the face of our fans even in the darkest times. This last week has been some of the worst times, it’s something we are all deeply saddened by. It’s sad to think for the time being we won’t grace the stage as five bros or have the same fun on a tour bus or laughs in a hotel together that we have over the years but I’m super sure us and Zayn will always remain the closest friends. I guess what I’m really trying to say is it’s far from over.”
He also told everyone that it’s ok “to be sad and upset” for the moment but asked fans to not lose faith in the band as “there’s a lot more to come” from the boys.
While fans of the band are sad to see Malik leave, the impact he had is permanent. Malik is British-Pakistani and was raised with an Islamic faith, which was the reason for many criticisms the singer has had to deal with. In 2014, he received death threats after expressing his political beliefs regarding the Israeli-Palestine conflict on his Twitter page. Getting to the level of fame and recognition that Malik has had with One Direction was very important and ground breaking. He helped pave the path for future Muslim stars and influenced many young people.
Malik has also been vocal about his love for English and words, stating that if he wasn’t in One Direction, he would be studying English at college. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Malik said, “I have a massive thing for English. I just love words.”
It makes sense then that he wrote three of the songs for One Direction’s most recent album, Four. Surprisingly, however, the songs never made it onto the album. With snubs like this added to the stress and pressure that he was under, leaving the band seems like the best thing for Malik.
Zayn’s departure from the band is pretty sad and will leave a hole that can never be filled in the hearts of many One Direction fans, but let us take advice from Boston’s Mayor Marty Walsh and “soldier on” in these difficult times.