Life after Zayn

MANILA, Philippines - Right now, you probably already know what went down in the wee hours of March 26, Thursday morning. Zayn Malik, Bradford bad boy and token diva of One Direction, left the boyband for good so he could focus on fixing his private life. His announcement was made exactly a week after he walked out in the middle of the Southeast Asian leg of their world tour. To the fans of the boys, and fans of bands in general, losing a member is monumental. Think of the Beatles sans John Lennon or the Spice Girls minus Geri Halliwell — history’s shown that sudden departures can end a band’s successful run. Will 1D meet the same fate?

In the case of N*Sync, where the brunt of the vocals was primarily juggled by Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez, the option of continuing as a band was rather unlikely. Justin’s voice was distinctive and carried most of their tracks to their climax. Without him, it would’ve just been JC and three backup dancers. In 1D, the distribution of parts is more or less equal and interchangeable. If you take Zayn out of the equation, the other four boys (Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson) would be there to pick up his slack. The concerts last weekend proved they could manage just fine without him. Although the remaining quartet couldn’t exactly hit all the otherworldly notes Zayn had set for them (let’s face it, the boy was vocally blessed with a golden falsetto), they were still able to deliver respectable and enjoyable performances.

In terms of songwriting, Zayn’s a lightweight. He only managed to co-write 10 of the band’s 73 songs. That’s meager compared to Liam’s 27 and Louis’s 30. There have been rumors that Zayn’s original compositions were not good enough to make the final cut of their latest album, “Four,” spurring him to collaborate with outside producers like Naughty Boy. Whether this is true or not, we’ll see its fruits in the future. But for now, it’s safe to say that the rest of the 1D boys have nothing to worry about regarding songwriting. After all, they still have a company-provided team of songsmiths to help them out.

#ALWAYSINOURHEARTSZAYNMALIK

Thursday’s Twitter trends were full of hashtags and lamentations dedicated to Zayn’s abrupt goodbye. Fans begged him to come back. Others sent their best wishes. The rumor mill spun like mad. It’s undeniable how Zayn was adored. The boy brought something different to the plate. He was simple and meek. He was of color and of a different religion. He opened up the band to audiences who wouldn’t have normally taken notice of a generic bunch of singing white boys.

For many fans, Zayn was the sole reason they even joined the fandom. With his long lashes, chiseled features, and insane vocals, he lured them into the craziness that is One Direction only to leave them behind when the times got tough. To see him go like that must have felt like betrayal. Nothing made this more evident than the fan reaction to the news that he would be M.I.A. for the Manila shows. Friends of mine threatened to sell their tickets. Some opted for downgrades. And yet, come concert day, all of them still showed up with their original tickets in hand because despite all the pre-concert drama, there was still a chance of Zayn’s triumphant return once he got things sorted out. It was a possibility that never came to pass. Zayn is gone.

A couple of friends and I were lucky enough to see him perform in Singapore, one of his final shows with the whole band. His ad-libs were inhuman, and they left me and everyone in the stadium floored. He had a few good laughs with the boys onstage, but for the most part, his eyes were glazed over, staring into oblivion. I didn’t notice it at that time, but he was probably mulling over his next steps. Two shows later, in Bangkok, he took his final bow. “Thank you,” he said, “We have been One Direction!” And that was that.

Boybands have a limited shelf life, and 1D is nearing its expiration date. It’s only a matter of time before their fans find other acts to gush about, but until then, they still have a tour to finish and an album to release. Life for the boys after Zayn will be different, definitely. It will be new. It will be a gamble. Fans, like myself, can only hope it’ll pay off. It would be sad to see them just fade away.

The show must go on: Zayn’s face flashed up on screen in Jakarta on Wednesday at 1D’s first official performance as a foursome. Twitter