There’s plenty of “real music” to go around! Zayn Malik has given a sweet shout-out to his former “One Direction” bandmates.
The singer Tweeted support for the group’s new song on Saturday, saying he’s “proud of my boys” for the “sick” new track.
“Big love,” he added, alongside a smiley face emoticon.
Proud of my boys the new single is sick. Big love. 🙂 x
— zayn (@zaynmalik) August 1, 2015
PHOTOS: The Boys Of One Direction!
Zayn’s congratulatory words come just days after he announced a new record deal with RCA, and ignited a bit of blowback with an “explanation” for his departure from One Direction in March.
“It was for this moment to be given the opportunity to show you who i really am!” the newly-minted solo artist Tweeted on Wednesday. In addition to sharing a photo of his contract signing, the 22-year-old also included the hashtag #realmusic, which some interpreted as snark toward his 1D pals.
@zaynmalik the fact you used the hashtag #realmusic is offensive and it really aggravates me.
— ||bre|| (@smirkinqstyles) July 30, 2015
@zaynmalik You would be nowhere without the band though. You basically used them. That’s sad
— 5SOS IN 3 DAYS WHAT (@jerkinglarryx) August 1, 2015
WHY would he say #realmusic ?! Is he serious?! ðŸâŽðŸÂ¼ðŸËµðŸââ
— Cassandra Taylor (@cassandita) July 30, 2015
READ: One Direction Surprises Fans With New Single ‘Drag Me Down’
Turns out, the pop stars were just as excited about their own “real music,” too. They dropped their first single as a foursome on Friday, telling fans they couldn’t wait any longer to share “Drag Me Down.”
“We couldn’t wait for you to hear our new single, ‘Drag Me Down,’ so we released it early,” member Niall Horan explained in a video clip posted on Twitter. “We are so thankful for all of the support we’ve had, so we decided to release the song for all of our fans.”
“Drag Me Down” hit No. 1 on iTunes in 82 countries. The song will appear on One Direction’s fifth album, due out in November.
— Erin Biglow
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