One Direction proved there is no animosity between themselves and Zayn Malik during an appearance at the Billboard Awards on Sunday night. The four-piece paid tribute to their former bandmate as they accepted the award for Top Group/ Duo.
"This one is for the fans but there is one more person we want to share this with and that's our brother Zayn," Liam Payne said during their acceptance speech.
© Photo: Getty ImagesOne Direction dedicated their award to Zayn Malik
It was a successful night for the group, who also collected the award for Top Touring Artist, beating the likes of Katy Perry and Lady Gaga.
The event was the band's first red carpet appearance since Zayn announced his decision to leave in March, and the British stars took the opportunity to reassure fans that they are not splitting up as they spoke to E! News presenter Giuliana Rancic.
Their words echoed their recent promise to release their first studio album without Zayn as soon as September or October. Speaking to James Corden during their appearance on The Late, Late Show, Niall explained: "The four of us enjoy every aspect of it. The shows have been great and we are in the studio at the minute and we are looking forward to bringing out a new record and going on more tours and we are really enjoying it."
© Photo: Getty ImagesZayn Malik left One Direction in March
Liam also opened up about how the band felt after Zayn announced his decision to leave, admitting that they were initially angry with him.
"If you don't like the job, you have to follow your heart sometimes and go where you need to go and there is no arguing with that," Liam said. "Like I say, we were angry at first but then it was just a bit more disappointed, but we wish him the best of luck with whatever he gets up to and there is no hard feelings, it is just going to carry on as usual."
