(Getty Images)
One Direction is “gutted” over Zayn Malik quitting, but the remaining members are moving on. In a new interview, the group’s first since Malik’s shocking departure last month, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Liam Payne express both sadness over the situation and hope for their future as a foursome.
As Gossip Cop reported, One Direction released a statement announcing Malik’s exit, and since then, Tomlinson has openly clashed with Naughty Boy, who is working with Malik on new music, while Payne has called the fans “heroes” for their continued support. Now, in comments to The Sun, the same outlet with which Malik did his own first post-split interview, the guys express gratitude toward Directioners for sticking by them through this time of change.
“We’re looking forward to seeing all our fans on tour this year. The fans are amazing. They are so loyal,” says Horan. “All we want to do is make them proud and return their faith in us with a brilliant tour and an amazing new album.” Styles agrees, telling the paper, “It’s very exciting to be working on our fifth album, it shows how incredible the fans have been. A huge thank you to them for everything they’ve done for us. All the love to them.”
Payne acknowledges, “It’s been a tough few weeks, probably the toughest since the band was formed five years ago. We’re gutted that Zayn chose to leave.” He adds, however, “But now after a few performances as a four-piece, we’re feeling confident and are determined to carry on stronger than ever.” Tomlinson echoes that sentiment, saying, “All four of us are 100 percent committed to staying in One Direction.”
“We want to thank the fans for being so incredible during this time,” continues Tomlinson. “We have so much more we want to achieve.” He further notes, “Our gigs in South Africa were some of the biggest the country has ever seen, so it’s exciting for us to keep breaking records for British music worldwide.”
One Direction version 2.0 also posed for its first official photos as a four-piece. See below, and tell us what you think of this new era.
(The Sun)
