Zayn Malik left the celebrity spotlight in his decision to quit One Direction. One Direction is a British pop band of originally five members. Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Liam Payne are the four remaining members of the internationally popular band. The news was announced Wednesday on the group’s Facebook page.
One Direction has posted on their official Facebook site, “After five incredible years Zayn Malik has decided to leave One Direction. Niall, Harry, Liam and Louis will continue as a four-piece and look forward to the forthcoming concerts of their world tour and recording their fifth album, due to be released later this year.”
Zayn admitted that being in the band was a great experience. He also apologized to fans about his departure but also shared the reason for his decision.
"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,” said Zayn. “I'd like to apologize to the fans if I've let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart."
Last Thursday, the band’s publicist Simon Jones released on Twitter that Zayn left the 2015 world tour due to stress. Zayn getting on a plane ride back to Britain during the tour foreshadowed his ultimatum to quit 1D.
“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 continued. “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."
One Direction members' most recent tweets on the social media app Twitter reflects their thoughts and feelings on the occurance. The message they sent out to fans is one laced with grief about Zayn's departure, yet with hopes for the future of One Direction. The group will continue performing across the globe in their 2015 world tour.
"We're really sad to see Zayn go, but we totally respect his decision and send him all our love for the future. The past five years have been beyond amazing, we've gone through so much together, so we will always be friends,” said One Direction. “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."
