It’s only been three days since Zayn Malik quit One Direction but it looks as though the 22-year-old is already hard at work on the next stage of his career.
Sources tell People magazine that Zayn was spotted entering a recording studio today, and it is believed that he’s collaborating with Naughty Boy (the UK-based songwriter who helped launch Sam Smith’s career) on a solo album to be released later this year.
Considering Zayn just spoke about his One Direction departure and his desire to "live a normal life" earlier today, fans and the other members of 1D are understandably feeling a bit confused.
"He told everyone in the band and management that he wants to live a normal life, and the next thing you know, he’s going into music studios and doing interviews with tabloids," says a source close to the situation.
"Everyone feels a bit misled and thinks he was lying about wanting to live a normal life. Everyone feels played by him. Louis and Zayn are friends, but the rest probably won’t talk to him."
Of course, even if Zayn is actually working on a solo album, it may be just one of several reasons that he chose to part ways with the band that made him famous.
Some have blamed Perrie Edwards for Zayn’s departure. Others have claimed that Malik was fired from the band as a result of his drug and alcohol use.
Whatever the case may be, one thing remains certain – millions of fans are anxiously waiting to see what Zayn will do next.