Zayn Malik Walks His First Red Carpet Since Quitting One Direction—See Pics of the Singer at the Asian Awards!

Meanwhile, Simon Cowell jokes he was going to "jump off a cliff" after the pop star abandoned 1D

Zayn Malik made his red carpet return at the Asian Awards in London Friday.

The singer made his first official appearance since quitting One Direction. He didn't bring his fiancée, Perrie Edwards. Instead, he brought his mom. Aw!

Malik also debuted his new nose ring and a shaved head.

In March, the Asian Awards announced Dr. Amar Bose would be given The Founders Award at Friday's ceremony. Other categories include Outstanding Achievement in The Arts; Outstanding Achievement in Television; Outstanding Achievement in Cinema; Outstanding Achievement in Music; Outstanding Achievement in Science and Technology; Outstanding Achievement in Sport; Business Leader of the Year; Public Servant of the Year; Philanthropist of the Year; Social Entrepreneur of the Year; Entrepreneur of the Year; Lifetime Achievement Award; and Outstanding Contribution to Sustainability.

British fashion icon Gok Wan is hosting the fifth annual Asian Awards.

The last time Malik walked a red carpet was at the 16th NRJ Music Awards on Dec. 13, 2014. At the time, he posed with 1D's Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Harry Styles. Band member Louis Tomlinson was M.I.A.

Simon Cowell visited The Late Late Show Thursday and explained to James Corden that he felt like he was "about to jump off a cliff" when he found out Malik was leaving the group that he helped assemble.

"I kind of knew this was coming, if I was being honest with you. We had a few conversations. I was trying to say to him, 'Look, I think you should stay around a bit longer.' And then something in him just said, 'No, I've had enough.' And then once the decision was made, I dealt with it. Then I obviously made sure the guys were OK because they were shocked as well," the X Factor creator and music executive said.

"Once someone's made their mind up, they're going to go. But also, at the same time, you know, I don't want to push him too much, because he's 22. I could see he was a bit stressed and he needed some time off, so I had to respect his decision. And then for the boys it was interesting, because they were in the middle of these live shows at the time, and then I watched the show back, and they were—I've got to hand it to them—incredible," he said. "To kind of work everything out so quickly...they were amazing."

Cowell has high hopes for the pop quartet. "I have a feeling that they're going to deliver this year the best record that they've ever made. I've heard some of the early stuff, so I'm feeling good," he revealed.