An official statement was issued via the band’s Facebook page, which assured fans that the other four boys, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, and Niall Horan, would continue their 2015 world tour and begin recording a fifth album sans Malik.
In the statement, 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.” Malik went on to explain his desire to have normalcy somewhat returned to his life after five hectic years of touring and recording.
Last week, the band announced Malik would be taking a break from touring, which none of the other boys have ever done before. According to Entertainment Tonight, the group’s publicist cited his break was due to mental stress. However, Malik’s exit from the tour came soon after rumors broke of him cheating on his finance, Little Mix’s Perrie Edwards.
Malik was quick to dispel the rumors, posting on Twitter, “I’m 22 years old…I love a girl named Perrie Edwards. And there’s a lot of jealous f**** in this world I’m sorry for what it looks like x.”
In regards to his departure, the band said in the Facebook statement: “We’re really sad to see Zayn go, but we totally respect his decision and send him all our love for the future…The four of us will now continue. We’re looking forward to recording the new album and seeing all the fans on the next stage of the world tour.”
