When One Direction's Zayn Malik decided to leave the band, a lot of fans were heartbroken and devastated. Now, his fellow band member Liam Payne is picking up the pieces of Zayn's departure and assuring fans that the band will still continue releasing hit songs.
A lot of fans have taken to Twitter to thank the remaining One Direction members for staying, but for Liam, the fans are "the real heroes."
"I can see a lot of people thanking us for staying but you're the real heroes here, thanks for not thinking it's finished," he tweeted to his 19.8 million Twitter followers.
The remaining One Directioners, namely, Liam, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan were all surprised by Zayn's decision to leave the band. He reportedly quit in the middle of their On the Road Again World Tour due to stress.
In his first interview after leaving the band, 22-year-old Zayn admitted that the music industry and constant touring are no longer working for him, saying that he has not been happy "for a while."
Among the band members, Liam has been the most open about their friend's decision to quit. "To a lot of people it's just a bunch of silly kids in a band but to the people involved it means so much more," he wrote on Twitter.
He said that since Zayn left, they have encountered "some of the worst times, possibly the worst" and he shared that they are all saddened by the recent turn of events.
The group had always performed on the stage as "five bros," and they had enjoyed being in the tour bus or checking in different hotels over the years, so it is painful for Liam to think that they would be one member short from now on.
Still, he respects Zayn's decision and has no doubt that they will continue being "the closest friends."
One Direction is an English-Irish pop boy band that shot to fame after joining the singing contest The X Factor in 2010. After the competition, they signed on with Simon Cowell's record label, Syco Records, and produced four albums since then.
The first album is Up All Night (2011), Take Me Home (2012), Midnight Memories (2013), and Four (2014). Some of their most notable hits include "What Makes You Beautiful," "Live While We're Young," "Story of My Life," and "Steal My Girl."
