Zayn Malik has pulled out of his performance at Capital FM’s Summertime Ball in the UK due to an anxiety attack.
The former One Direction singer explained himself and said he has issues with anxiety on Instagram. “Unfortunately my anxiety that has haunted me throughout the last few months around live performances has gotten the better of me,” he wrote.
Malik apologized to his fans and promises he’ll do his best to make it up.
When rumors started that One Direction would be breaking up, Malik reportedly wanted to leave the group’s tour because of stress. Eventually, Malik embarked on a successful solo career with his debut Mind of Mine released in July of 2015. It featured the hit single “Pillowtalk” and “Like I Would.”
In our April/May 2016 issue, Malik spoke about the process of recording Mind of Mine and the anxiety he had before putting out new music.
“There was a lot of built-up anxiety to create this thing,” he said. “You don’t really know what’s going to happen. So when that song went out, and I saw the reaction from the fans, that took a little weight off me for a bit. Obviously, there’s still a lot of pressure. I don’t want to be a one-hit wonder, so I’ve got a lot of work to do."
Besides Malik, Summertime Ball’s line-up includes Little Mix, Tinie Tempah, Ariana Grande, Nick Jonas, Will.i.am, Craig David, and many more.
UPDATED 6/13/16: Despite news of a breakup, Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik are reportedly back together with Hadid taking to social media to publicly support Malik after he canceled his performance over the weekend. "I've seen the battles you go through and the way you fight to get to a place that allows you to get up there for your fans," Hadid wrote on Twitter. "Your honesty last night proved what you're all about, being real." She closed the note by writing that she loves him. The weight of disappointing fans can't be easy and it's definitely nice to see Hadid standing behind Malik in this way. You can read her full message to him below.
