“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. But, after five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band,” he said in a statement at the time. “My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined.
Following five years as a group, however, Malik was the first to leave the band, announcing his departure in March 2015. One Direction may be on an extended hiatus, but Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik have continued to make music - and headlines - over the years.Īfter forming and finishing in third place on U.K.’s version of The X Factor in 2010, One Direction released four successful studio albums - Up All Night, Take Me Home, Midnight Memories and Four.
