I wasn't surprised when it was announced that Zayn Malik would be leaving One Direction, leaving the boy band as a foursome. I could see it coming from years away, dating all the way back to the first One Direction concert I attended back in 2014. He just... wasn't as in love with all of it as the rest of them were.
So when the news broke, I read through the hash tags on twitter of girls crying and dedicating everything they have to him hoping that he was well. I read the articles about him saying that he just wanted to live as a normal 22-year-old and I rolled my eyes but applauded him for doing what he felt he needed to do. He'll never be a normal 22-year-old, or anything-year-old, but he can take a step back and not live a life on the road.
And then came the Naughty Boy crap and I got pretty pissed off. He left millions of fans who gave him everything, and four boys he claimed to be like brothers to him, and claimed he wanted to live a normal life. And then he's recording demos with Naughty Boy who is just riding off the name Zayn Malik and his ties with One Direction.
I'm sorry Zayn, but you signed up for the screaming girls and the life on the road when you auditioned for "The X-Factor" back in 2010. No, you never dreamed that you would be so big but that's the downside of being paid globs of money to perform and allow millions of girls to love you.
You leaving was cowardly, but lying about it only to turn around and start recording demos was completely wrong.
I love how I see some girls going on about how brave he was for leaving. I don't see it as brave and I don't know why these girls are still so in love with him. It wasn't the leaving that ruined Zayn for me and honestly, I'll always love him as 1/5 of the boy band of my 20s but I lost a bit of respect for him through all of this. Especially when he took a shot at Louis Tomlinson over Twitter.
But then I think, none of us know or will ever know what actually went on behind the scenes. Yes, in front of cameras and on stage, those five boys are the best of friends – brothers even! But do they love each other that much when the lights dim and the cameras turn off?
I want what's best for everyone, I really do. But I don't like being lied to. I have supported those five boys since "What Makes You Beautiful" invaded my thought process and I had to learn who sand the catchy tune (at the time I thought it was a few boys from somewhere out in California). Days later, I was obsessed with Harry, Liam, Niall, Louis and Zayn and I haven't looked back since. Like I said, I don't like to be lied to. So boys, next time someone is leaving the band to pursue solo careers – I'm looking at you Harry – please do so by being truthful.
