Zayn Malik was supported by former One Direction bandmate Louis Tomlinson at his LA gig on Wednesday evening. The Pillowtalk hitmaker, 32, kicked off the US leg of his Stairway to the Sky tour earlier this month, having scrapped a number of shows following ex-bandmate Liam Payne’s death in October. Payne died aged 31 after falling from his hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, with the circumstances surrounding his death still under investigation.

Given all the former bandmates have been through of late, fans were ecstatic when Zayn revealed Louis was supporting him in the audience of his LA gig. ‘Tonight is special, an old friend of mine is here supporting me tonight,’ Zayn told the crowd, adding: ‘Somewhere here, I don’t want to give his location away, but Louis is here tonight.’. In a viral video posted on X, fans can be heard screaming all around the room at the idea of the former 1D bandmates sticking together through tough times.

This moment was particularly meaningful for fans, as it comes almost a decade after Zayn’s dramatic exit from the band in March 2015. Earlier this month while on stage in Washington DC Zayn teased that he is ready to play One Direction songs again… Maybe. ‘Did you like that one?’ he asked the crowd before adding: ‘Maybe I’ll mix it up at some point, maybe a 1D song in there or something.’.

The Pillowtalk singer quickly added: ‘Don’t get excited, not tonight! Sorry, I didn’t mean to tease you like [that] it’s not tonight.’. In 2023 Zayne confessed on the Call Her Daddy podcast that in the five years since the band – made up of Zayn, Payne, Louis, Harry Styles and Niall Horan – formed on X Factor, tensions had formed which led to their split. ‘There was obviously underlying issues within our friendships, too. We’d got sick of each other if I’m being completely honest,’ Zayn explained in a chat with Alex Cooper.

Zayn also shared that he simply got ‘ahead of the curve’ by leaving the band before an inevitable split. ‘I knew something was happening, so I just got ahead of the curve,’ he said. ‘I was like, “I’m just going to get out of here, I think this is done”.’. He continued: ‘I just seen it [coming] and I completely selfishly wanted to be the first person to go and make my own record. If I’m being completely honest with you, I was like, ‘I’m going to jump the gun here’.

‘I’m a passive dude, but when it comes to my music and my business, I’m serious about it and I’m competitive, so I wanted to be the first to go and do my own thing. That was the reason.’. Speculation has been rife that the four One Direction singers might reunite for the first time in 10 years in a tribute to Payne at the Brit Awards in March, though Metro understands that an official tribute at the Brits has not been confirmed.

A source told The Sun: ‘The tribute to Liam at this year’s awards show has caused a real buzz and speculation that the remaining One Direction bandmates could finally come back together again on stage. ‘It would be an entirely fitting way to honour Liam and talks are already under way about how to make this segment of the Brits unforgettable.’. The insider said that Payne ‘loved’ the annual music event, and will ‘forever be part of the show’s history.’.

‘It’s still in the very early stages of preparation and the finer details are still being worked out, with official approaches to be made in coming weeks,’ they continued. ‘But there are set to be a mixture of performances, tasteful photo and video montages and a live orchestra.’. Got a story?. If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

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