Zayn Malik quits One Direction, wants normal life

LONDON | Singer Zayn Malik said on Wednesday he was quitting the best-selling pop band One Direction because he wanted to live a normal life and apologized to fans of the hugely popular British-Irish group for doing so.

The decision by Malik to quit came after he dropped out of an Asian tour due to what he said was stress when pictures of the singer, who is engaged to Perrie Edwards of Little Mix, were published showing him partying with another woman in Thailand.

“I’d like to apologize to the fans if I’ve let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart. 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,” Malik said in a statement on One Direction’s Facebook page.

The announcement said Malik’s decision had come after five years with the band, which came to prominence for its performance on the popular televised singing competition “The X Factor” in 2010.

One Direction’s biggest hits include “Best Song Ever”, “Kiss You”, “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Story of My Life”.

The remaining band members, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, will continue on their current world tour as a foursome and will release their fifth album later this year, the statement said.

“We’re really sad to see Zayn go, but we totally respect his decision and send him all our love for the future. The past five years have been beyond amazing, we’ve gone through so much together, so we will always be friends,” the band members said.

Simon Cowell, the British music and television impresario who launched the band, said:

“I would like to say thank you to Zayn for everything he has done for One Direction. Since I first met Zayn in 2010, I have grown very, very fond — and immensely proud — of him.

“I have seen him grow in confidence and I am truly sorry to see him leave. As for One Direction, fans can rest assured that Niall, Liam, Harry and Louis are hugely excited about the future of the band.”

The announcement instantly made Malik’s name one of the top trends on Twitter and produced anguished reactions from fans.

“I KEEP HOPING THAT @zaynmalik LEAVING IS SOME EARLY APRIL FOOLS JOKE BY @onedirection,” tweeted one American fan.

source: interaksyon.com

Boy band One Direction makes chart history with third No. 1 album debut

LOS ANGELES | British boy band One Direction made chart history on Wednesday as its third album debuted at No. 1 on the weekly U.S. Billboard 200 album chart, the only group to have its first three albums top the chart in opening week sales.

The quintet’s “Midnight Memories” sold 546,000 copies, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan.

The group’s first album, “Up All Night” and second record “Take Me Home,” both released in 2012, also debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, but with smaller opening week sales.

One Direction, comprised of singers Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan, was formed on the U.K. reality singing television show “The X Factor” in 2010 and has gone on to conquer the United States with songs such as “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Story of My Life.”

The band’s music is targeted at a young audience, and its fans are mainly teenage girls, dubbed “Directioners.” The group has more than 16 million Twitter followers and 22 million Facebook fans.

One Direction’s big opening week marks an increase in overall album sales for the week ending December 1, due to the shopping boost during the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Total album sales were 8.6 million for the week, up 14 percent from the comparable week in 2012, according to Billboard.

Only one other new album debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 this week. Country singer Garth Brooks came in at No. 3 with a box set of music called “Blame It on My Roots,” which sold 164,000 copies in an exclusive deal with retailer Walmart.

On the digital songs chart, which measures single track downloads, rapper Pitbull’s song “Timber” featuring Ke$ha climbed from No. 4 to No. 1 with 237,000 downloads, benefiting from the duo performing the song at the November 24 American Music Awards.

Eminem’s “Monster” featuring Rihanna dropped one spot to No. 2, while A Great Big World’s “Say Something” featuring Christina Aguilera climbed three spots to No. 3 this week, also benefiting from a performance at the AMA.

source: interaksyon.com