Entertainment

Zayn Malik Was Just Spotted At Studio For First Time Since Leaving 1D

by Gillian Fuller

If you're wondering what direction Zayn Malik is headed in now that he's no longer a member of 1D, this photo should clear things up.

Snapped just hours after the 22-year-old confirmed his departure from the band, the photo shows the newly solo Malik stepping into a London recording studio by himself.

Considering he left the money-making powerhouse to pursue a “more normal life,” we're a bit confused as to what “normal” means in his dictionary.

Still, his part from 1D was a long time coming. Back in 2012, he admitted to Rolling Stone he wasn't sure of his future in the teen band. He said,

I think I'd love to be involved with it still, because obviously, we'll be working in the industry for an extended amount of time and you get used to it. Even if it wasn't as public or as out there as what we do now, if it was just something even in the background, working as a studio songwriter — production — that would always be a cool thing to do.

He added, to him, fame is “really strange."

Malik continued,

...it's hard to put into words… You know it's happening and you know you should believe it, but you almost don't.

As of yet, what exactly Zayn was doing in the studio remains unclear. Some believe he's started to work on a solo album already, or maybe he's working on some of that “background” production he talked about earlier.

Either way, this photo should serve as closure for the Directioners who've yet to accept Zayn's departure from the band.

"@1Dupdategirls: "@1DCentral_: #NEW Zayn today http://t.co/G8HZN488Oz pic.twitter.com/iFnRaJTS4X" at a studio 24 hours later" — 1D Updates (@1Dneews) March 26, 2015

Citations: Zayn Malik Visits Recording Studio After Quitting One Direction Just Released 2012 Interview Hints at His Exit (E Online), Zayn Malik Spotted At A Recording Studio Just Hours After Announcing Split From One Direction (Seventeen)