He tweets! Zayn Malik has been absent from social media since the announcement last month that he was leaving One Direction — but that changed on Monday, April 20. Days after making his first post-departure public appearance, the former boy bander broke his Twitter silence with a message to fans.
"Wanna say thanks to everyone that's been there for me over the last few weeks, love you all…" he wrote to his 14.6 million followers. "You know who you are x."
Malik, 22, has been slowly easing back into the spotlight over the last few days, as evidenced by his attendance at the Asian Awards on April 17. Accompanied by his mom, Trisha, the British teen idol debuted a shaved head at the event, and also accepted a trophy for Outstanding Achievement in Music.
During his speech, the ex-One Directioner gave a shout-out to his former bandmates, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Niall Horan. "I'd also like to take this moment to thank four of the best guys I've ever met," he said. "Everything I've done with them will stay with me for the rest of my life."
The feeling is mutual. In a statement after Malik's departure, the remaining members of One Direction promised to keep the singer close at heart.
"We're really sad to see Zayn go, but we totally respect his decision and send him all our love for the future," they wrote on Facebook. "The past five years have been beyond amazing, we've gone through so much together, so we will always be friends."
