On March 25, 2015, Zayn Malik announced his departure from One Direction. “I’d like to apologise to the fans if I’ve let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart,” he wrote at the time. “I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight. I know I have four friends for life in Louis, Liam, Harry, and Niall.”
Exactly 10 years later (last night!), Zayn performed a One Direction song at a solo show for the first time ever.
During a show in Mexico City on Tuesday, the “What I Am” singer sang 1D highlight “Night Changes,” from 2014’s multi-platinum Four. “It’s the first time I’ve sung that song in 10 years. Thank you. That was f*cking amazing,” he said during the show. “I almost cried at one point.”
“Night Changes” saw a surge in popularity following the tragic death of One Direction member Liam Payne last year. Per Billboard: “In the week after his death, ‘Night Changes’ — which ran up to No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2014 — saw its US streams spike 416 percent to 4.9 million.”
You can watch Zayn sing “Night Changes” here.