Zayn Malik Signs New Record Deal; Shares Real Reason for Leaving One Direction

After landing on headlines for suddenly quitting One Direction, Zayn Malik is in the news again for signing a new record deal and revealing the "real reason" behind his decision.

On Tuesday, the 22-year-old singer posted a photo of him signing a recording contract with RCA records.

After exiting the popular group, he briefly collaborated with producer Naughty Boy, whose real name is Shahid Khad. But the collaboration between the two has not been formalized and there have been no follow-ups. The partnership reportedly ceased because Malik leaked the collaboration.

Malik caption the photo: "I guess I never explained why I left, it was for this moment to be given the opportunity to show you who i really am! #realmusic #RCA !!" 

Twitter users, particularly One Directioners, quickly reacted to his post. US Magazine reported that Malik even retweeted one of those who took offense: "You are stupid. Real music meaning real to him. Real because he has written and recorded it solely to what he likes. Real to himself like lol."

When he left the group in March this year, he initially claimed that he was leaving One Direction because he wanted to relax and spend some private time out of the spotlight, as reported by BBC. This decision by the young singer broke hearts of some fans, and raised some eyebrows of critics.

It also brought back similar situations, such as when George Michael decided to leave Wham! to make more adult music as an artist. Fortunately, the plan made wonders when his solo album "Faithfully" became a phenomenal hit.

During the 1990s, Robbie Williams also did the same, but did not manage to be that popular in the music industry as a solo artist. Williams, however, still successfully made a name for himself.

There are still doubts whether Malik can be as successful as these artists.

In a report, The Guardian said Noel Gallagher also expressed skepticism on Malik's decisions and plans. In an interview with the Rolling Stone, Gallagher said: "I laughed out loud when I read it 'I just want to be a normal 22-year-old.' ... I'll say this to you, Zayn: You might have wanted to be a normal 22-year-old, but you won't want to be a normal 25-year-old."