Zayn Malik may no longer be a member of One Direction, but it appears he will always support his former bandmates. Days after the band released their first single as a four-piece, Zayn tweeted to say he loved the new track.
"Proud of my boys the new single is sick. Big love. :) x," Zayn told his 15.2 million followers.
A source confirmed to HollywoodLife that Zayn is indeed a big fan of the new song Drag Me Down.
"Zayn actually thinks the song is pretty good… He had a brotherhood with all of them for so long and he knows they are super talented and actually really likes the song," the source said.
One Direction surprised fans by releasing their new single on Friday. It serves as their first release since Zayn left the band in March, and will be the lead single from their fifth studio album, set for release later in the year.
Within hours of its release the single topped the iTunes chart in 82 countries around the world, leading Harry Styles to tweet: "Hope everyone is liking Drag Me Down so far. Thank you for all the support. All the love."
The new release came just two days after Zayn announced that he had signed a solo record deal with RCA records, excitedly telling fans that he will reveal the "real me" with his upcoming music.
"I guess I never really explained why I left, it was for this moment to be given the opportunity to show you who I really am! #realmusic #RCA!!" he wrote alongside, later sharing a second tweet that read: "#REALME."
His former boss Simon Cowell – who signed One Direction to his Syco label – was quick to offer his congratulations to the Bradford-born singer. "We have been working on this for a while and I am pleased to say congratulations to @ZaynMalik on signing with @RCARecords," he wrote on Twitter.
"I believe they are the perfect label for @ZaynMalik's solo career and I am sure whatever they release together will be special."