Zayn Malik paid tribute to his ‘brother’ Liam Payne as he returned to the stage on Saturday for the first time since his former bandmate’s death.
The singer, 31, who rescheduled some concert dates following his tragic death, performed at Leeds 02 Academy as part of his Stairway To The Sky tour.
Liam died on October 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Argentina, and his One Direction bandmates were seen together in public for the first time in nine years as they paid their respects at his funeral on Wednesday.
Opening his concert over the weekend, Zayn stood in front of a backdrop that read: “Liam Payne 1993-2024.” I love you brother’ and a red heart.
The message, which was widely shared on social media, brought the crowd to tears.
His first solo tour was scheduled to begin in San Francisco on October 23, the US dates have now been postponed until January and a show in Edinburgh, which was due to take place on the same day as Liam’s funeral, was moved to October 8. December. .
Zayn Malik paid tribute to his ‘brother’ Liam Payne as he returned to the stage on Saturday for the first time since his former bandmate’s death.
The singer, 31, performed at Leeds 02 Academy as part of his Stairway To The Sky tour in front of a backdrop that read: ‘Liam Payne 1993-2024. I love you brother’ and a red heart
Former bandmates Harry Styles, 30, Niall Horan, 31, Louis Tomlinson, 32, and Zayn arrived separately at the church for a touching final farewell.
Harry dressed in black and arrived at the funeral in a BMW, while Niall attended with his girlfriend Amelia Woolley, and Zayn Malik arrived shortly after Louis.
Zayn was the first to leave One Direction in August 2015, citing “stress”, after withdrawing from the group’s world tour. The band officially announced their split in January 2016, breaking the hearts of millions of fans around the world.
Last week he revealed that his concerts due to take place next week in Edinburgh had been rescheduled due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Sharing a poster of the new dates via his tour manager’s social media, an accompanying statement read: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, Zayn’s original Stairway To The Sky Edinburgh show scheduled for November 20 has been rescheduled for December 8.
“Another date on November 21 at the same O2 Academy Edinburgh venue has been moved to December 9. All tickets for the original show dates will be honored on the rescheduled dates.”
Even though fans were disappointed by the news, many took to social media to express concern for Zayn’s well-being and send him messages of support telling him to “prioritize his mental health,” assuming the delay was related to him still I was grieving the loss of Liam. .
They wrote: ‘We love you @zaynmalik Take all the time you need, we will be here supporting you anyway.’
Liam died on October 16 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina, and Zayn rescheduled some concert dates in the wake of his tragic passing (pictured together in 2013).
His One Direction bandmates were seen together in public for the first time in nine years as they paid their respects at his funeral on Wednesday.
‘@zaynmalik I’m so proud of you for deciding to prioritize your mental health. Please don’t worry about us. We will wait as long as you need. Take all the time you want. We know how you feel, you are not alone. We cry together. We love you Zayn.”
‘Zayn, we are always on your side, take all the time you need; sending all my love to zayn, stay strong z ; @zaynmalik please take care of yourself.’
“Honestly, Zayn has every right to reschedule the tour as far as necessary. He lost a friend, if he doesn’t feel like performing we have to respect that. If he feels like performing, we have to respect that too. His well-being comes first and who They love him, they will understand.”
‘I really hope Zayn is okay ; I hope no one gives Zayn a hard time for postponing any more dates. This time you are allowed to cry as long as you need.
Following Liam’s unexpected death at age 31 after falling from the third floor of his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires last month, Zayn announced that he was postponing his US tour dates.
He wrote: ‘Given the heartbreaking loss experienced this week, I have made the decision to postpone the US leg of the STAIRWAY TO THE SKY tour.
‘The dates are being rescheduled for January and I will post them as soon as everything is set in the coming days. Your tickets will remain valid for the new dates. I love you all and thank you for your understanding.”
Last week, Zayn revealed that his concerts due to take place next week in Edinburgh had been rescheduled due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
The UK fixture will see them play in Leeds, Manchester, London, Wolverhampton and Newcastle, before rescheduled dates in Edinburgh.
He will perform hits from his new album, Room Under the Stairs, which he wrote over the past six years in rural Pennsylvania and which was released in May this year, where it debuted at number three on the UK albums chart.
An American music producer who works with Zayn previously told the Daily Mail that the singer is “completely devastated” by Liam’s sudden passing.
They added that his loved ones “don’t want him to be alone” right now, so they are making sure he is “surrounded by his friends.”