Everyone, remain calm: Zayn Malik just made a subtle nod to his boyband days during a recent concert in Mexico. On March 25, the “Stardust” singer made his way to Mexico City for the final dates of his Stairway to the Sky tour, and he surprised his audience when he performed a stunning rendition of One Direction’s “Night Changes.”
Naturally, the crowd erupted in uncontrollable screams, and that’s the only correct reaction to Zayn acknowledging 1D in our good year 2025. Check out fan-captured footage of his performance below (spoiler alert: he’s still serving up his signature top-tier falsettos).
“Night Changes” was the second single from One Direction’s album, Four, and was the last music video to feature all five members. Longtime Directioners were quick to point out that Zayn pulled out the stop on the 10th anniversary of his departure from the band, which was founded on The X-Factor in 2010.
“The way he sings it like he’s reminiscing…” one TikTok comment read, while another added, “ON THE 10TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY????? i need a moment.”
We all remember where we were on March 25, 2015, when the “Dusk Till Dawn” crooner announced he would be exiting One Direction in pursuit of “private time out of the spotlight.”
“My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined. But, after five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band. I’d like to apologise to the fans if I’ve let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart,” he wrote in a statement on the band’s Facebook page.
He continued, “I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight. I know I have four friends for life in Louis, Liam, Harry and Niall. I know they will continue to be the best band in the world.” Zayn started his solo career shortly after with the release of “Pillowtalk.”
This recent nod to “Night Changes” isn’t the first time he’s revisited the 1D classic in recent years. In August 2022, he posted a clip of himself singing it acapella on Instagram, though it’s been deleted since.
