On March 25th, One Direction’s Facebook page officially announced that Zayn Malik would be leaving the band. The post itself says that he was leaving because he wanted to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have private time out of the spotlight.

In an interview with The Sun, band member Liam Payne said, “It’s been a tough few weeks, probably the toughest since the band was formed five years ago.”

Although Zayn claimed to have wanted a ‘normal life’, he was seen the next day in the recording studio with DJ Naughty Boy.

Emma Keeler, a student at Bishop Kearney High School, said, “I think it’s okay if he wanted to get a bit of privacy for himself, but I don’t think recording a new solo song to release is really ‘out of the spotlight.’”

Lots of backlash ensued when Naughty Boy tweeted the link to Zayn’s song, ‘I Don’t Mind’, which was only on Soundcloud for two days. Fans seemed angered by the fact that Zayn had left the band to be a ‘normal 22 year old’, yet recorded and released a song just days later.

The singer has not released any kind of update since leaving the band.

“I don’t have a really strong opinion on it,” said Keeler. “But all I can say is that he should have said something; everyone is left with questions unanswered.”