Zayn Malik is back.
The 27-year-old singer returned to Instagram on Friday to share a selfie with his followers. The photo was the first post the artist had shared since June 2. It was also the first one the One Direction member had shared since the band celebrated its 10-year anniversary.
Last week, fans celebrated a decade of One Direction in honor of the group being formed on The X Factor back in 2010. While Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne all shared tributes on their Instagram accounts, Malik did not. The "Dusk Till Dawn" star didn't provide a reason for his social media absence in his new post. Although, he has been busy getting ready to welcome his first child with Gigi Hadid.
Malik was part of One Direction until 2015, when he left the band. Later that year, Styles, Horan, Tomlinson and Payne revealed they were taking an extended "hiatus." All of the stars went on to launch solo careers.
During a 2019 interview with GQ Hype, Payne was asked if there are still "grudges" between the five members.
"Definitely in some part, yeah," he replied. "We had our differences throughout the whole experience with some things. I still think about some stuff that was said and done that now I would do differently, but then that's all part of growing up."
Payne elaborated, "Being in One Direction was such a schoolyard mentality somehow–the One Direction University, I call it. Everyone has stuff they've said at parties they wished they hadn't but, for us, the difference was that it was all happening in front of the world. Now we are older, for me certainly there are things that I am just not as bothered about."
Specifically speaking about Malik's departure, he added, "I think with Zayn's particular exit and the way he chose to go, we haven't really heard from him since he left. He didn't even say goodbye, if I am being honest. It was a really sordid scenario, from our side certainly. A bit strange. It's difficult."
Still, Payne called Malik "an amazing talent" and said he "genuinely was the best singer in One Direction."
Hopefully, fans won't have to wait another 10 years for the group to look back at the good old days again.