There has been a lot of talk going around about Zayn Malik's exit from pop boyband One Direction during its world tour, but the 22-year-old singer has finally spoken out to answer any lingering questions.
"I feel like I've let the fans down but I can't do this anymore," he said. "It's not that I've turned my back on them or anything, it's just that I just can't do that anymore because it's not the real me."
It was previously reported that Malik had trouble being in the spotlight.
"He is just a kid. He wants to make music, but the spotlight that comes with it is hard. Fame is kind of catching up with all of them. It's been a grueling and intense few years and it's having a snowball effect now," a source said of Malik, according to People.
The news of Malik's departure from the band was announced March 25 through his publicist Simon Jones.
"I did try to do something that I wasn't happy doing for a while, for the sake of other people's happiness," he admitted.
"It is crazy and wild and a bit mad, but at the same time I've never felt more in control in my life. And I feel like I'm doing what's right - right by myself and right by the boys, so I feel good."
Malik took the opportunity to slam rumors involving the band members feuding with one another. He said the boys - Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Niall Horan - have been incredibly supportive of his decision and do not have any hard feelings towards him, according to Us Weekly.
"They've been cool about it," he said.
Another one of Malik's supporters includes his fiancée Perrie Edwards, whom the 1D star was accused of cheating on after a photo surfaced of him looking extremely "close" to one of the fans.
Malik referred to Edwards as "a great girl" and confirmed that the two are happy and doing well.
One rumor that is true is that Malik will become a solo artist in the future, and he has been "working on his own music for awhile now."
Apparently, Malik doesn't need too much time to recuperate; he reportedly spent all of Thursday, March 26, in a studio with producer Naughty Boy.
Zayn's right back at it, so fans can stop weeping now.
