Zayn Malik's sudden departure from the band One Direction has not only shocked his fans, but has also left his band members Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne in dismay. In the first performance of the band as a four member group, Styles was seen crying bitterly on stage while Tomlinson was spotted putting an arm around imaginary Malik, probably to comfort himself.
The band was performing on Wednesday evening at Jakarta as a part of their "On The Road Again" tour. This was the band's first performance as a quartet, a fact which Styles probably found quite hard to bear on stage, Daily Mail reported.
The speculations about Malik's engagement with the band were being raised from the past few days, but Malik's confirmation about his exit has come as a shock to everyone in the music fraternity. Malik was an integral member of the band from last five years.
The news that Malik is leaving the band became official on Wednesday evening. Only a few hours later, the band took to stage to perform without the presence of Malik for the first time.
In a black T-shirt and trademarked man bun, Styles was seen wandering around the stage while crying openly and wiping away his tears. He was soon comforted by Payne, who put his arm around him. Tomlinson too wrapped imaginary Malik in close embrace as the shocked audience looked on.
Malik reportedly had taken a break and went back home to sort out his differences with his fiancée Perrie Edwards after being photographed with another woman in Thailand. As soon as he landed back home, reports started emerging that Malik is in talks with his lawyers to sort out a peaceful departure from the band.
"My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined," One Direction's official Facebook quoted the singer on Wednesday evening. "But, after five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band."