Artist News Gigs & Festivals

Zayn Malik steps down from One Direction tour, “it’s all over!” speculation rises

By | Published on Friday 20 March 2015

Zayn Malik

Ah, the (often long-running) “surely they’re about to split” stage of any boyband’s career, my very favourite of all the stages. Well, second favourite. The post-split bitching stage is actually my favourite. You know, when they get it all out of their systems before the “actually we love each other, so yes, I will sign up to the mega-millions reunion tour thank you very much” phase.

Anyway, what to make of the news that Zayn Malik has been signed off the current One Direction tour of Asia because of stress? Well, mainly that Zayn Malik has been signed off the current One Direction tour of Asia because of stress.

His stress levels having possibly shot up after a flurry of chatter to the effect that he was cheating (again, possibly) on fiancée and Little Mixer Perrie Edwards after a photo of him with his arm around a fan appeared online. The gossipers were simple “jealous fucks” he declared on Twitter, adding “I’m 22 years old … I love a girl named Perrie Edwards”.

Also this week, it emerged that he and bandmate Louis Tomlinson had been asked to post bonds of £3000 when applying for work permits to appear in Philippine capital Manila, with the threat the money would be taken if they were seen using or promoting illegal drugs while in the city. The requirement followed that video of the two smoking a “joint” while in Peru last year (where possessing a small amount of cannabis is not illegal).

So, a stressful week all round, the poor chap. Though this story shot to the front pages of The Sun, The Star and Metro because Malik’s exit from upcoming shows provides a perfect excuse to run the “is this the end of the pop phenomenon One Direction?” article. So is it? Well, as Winston Churchill once said, “this is not the end; it is not even the beginning of the end; but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning… no fuck that, One Direction are clearly falling apart”. But then, what does Churchill know?



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