Zayn Malik. Patrick Lewis/Starpix/Shutterstock
Is it ever enough to drive you crazy? Zayn Malik revisited a One Direction classic nearly eight years after his exit from the band — and sent fans into a frenzy.
The 29-year-old singer took to Instagram on Monday, August 15, to share a moody video of himself belting out “Night Changes.” The song appeared on the 2014 album Four, Malik’s final One Direction record before his departure.
Social media users were quick to celebrate the U.K. native’s a cappella rendition of the ballad, with some even wondering whether he was hinting at a potential band reunion. The clip came two months after the “Pillowtalk” crooner performed a snippet of the group’s 2013 hit “You & I.”
“If i had a nickel for every time zayn sang a one direction song in 2022, i’d have two nickels. which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice,” one fan commented on Monday’s video, while another added, “Zayn singing 1d songs in 2022 is literally the best thing could ever happen.”
MalikAnd his former bandmates — Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne — auditioned for the X Factor UKAs solo artists in 2010. Simon CowellThe other judges decided to group the teens together rather than removing them from the competition. One Direction ended the season in third place and were later signed to Cowell’s record label, Syco.
Malik announced his resignation in March 2015, after having recorded four albums with the group. The remaining members have released a fifth recording. Made in the A.M.The group took a year off and each member embarked upon their own solo career paths.
Since leaving One Direction, the “Dusk Till Dawn” artist has been candid about his experience in the band. Malik exclusively spoke out about his experiences in One Direction in September 2017. Us Weekly that he wasn’t very close with Styles, now 28, at the height of the group’s fame.
“To be honest, I never really spoke to Harry even when I was in the band,” the “She” singer confessed. “So I didn’t really expect that much of a relationship with him when I left. And I haven’t [had one]To be honest. … We were basically going at, like, 500 miles per hour. We did everything to an extreme in the band.”
Malik indicated that he was open for a reunion with his fellow 1D alums. “Who knows? I’ve said it before: Never say never,” he told Use. “If I wanted to come back in 10, 15 years time, then yeah, why not? I don’t know. If I didn’t want to [be in the band]It could be that I don’t. It just depends on how I’m feeling at that time.”
More recently, Payne, 28, shared his own thoughts on his time in the boy band — and called out Malik in the process. “There’s many reasons why I dislike Zayn and there’s many reasons why I’ll always, always be on his side. If I had had to go through what he went through — with his growth and whatever else,” the “Strip That Down” crooner said on the “Impaulsive” podcast with Logan PaulIn May.
Payne later backtracked after his comments made headlines, clarifying that he doesn’t have any beef with the “Better” artist. “I was saying that there will always be things we disagree on but that I will always, always be on his side. That’s family,” he tweeted in May. “Zayn is my brother and I will stand by him forever.”
