One Direction will remain as a four-piece from now on, following Zayn Malik's departure. And for days now, the popular British boy band has been dominating the Entertainment news, headline after headline.
This week, Liam Payne has finally opened up about Malik's exit from the group, and it appears that the 21-year-old is not pleased of the 22-year-old's decision, People has learned.
"It's been a tough few weeks, probably the toughest since the band was formed five years ago," Payne said while the foursome band faced questions about the members' struggle after Malik left.
Payne then continued by expressing his disappointment over Zayn's exit saying, We're gutted that Zayn chose to leave."
However, Payne assured fans that he and remaining members Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan are determined to make this work not just for them but for their millions of fans all over the world.
"After a few performances as a four-piece, we're feeling confident and are determined to carry on stronger than ever," he said.
Tomlinson, who previously dissed Malik during one of the band's latest performances, also reiterated the message that the foursome members are here to stay no matter what.
"All four of us are 100 percent committed to staying in One Direction," Tomlinson said.
Interestingly, Styles already confirmed that they are working on their fifth album and that they are all grateful to their loyal supporters, Gossip Cop reports.
"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," Styles said.
"We're looking forward to seeing all of our fans on tour this year. The fans are amazing. They are so loyal," Horan said.
One Direction's statements come after news broke that Zayn Malik is losing thousands of his followers since a demo for his solo debut was leaked by Naughty Boy.
Since his confirmed departure from the band, Malik has received a lot of outrage from disappointed fans. Hence, it's not surprising that he lost nearly 50,000 followers since he left 1D, according to Glamour.
Fans who un-followed Malik on Twitter were reportedly upset that the ex-One Direction member had to lie that he wanted to live a normal life before completely revealing that he is debuting as a solo artist.
