Wikimedia Commons/Fiona McKinlay"/>With the unexpected departure of Zayn Malik from One Direction earlier this year, fans of the widely popular boy band have been at a loss on what to expect next from Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan. It appears, however, that the British heartthrobs have been hard at work all this time to create and release a beautiful new single their loyal followers could enjoy. This week, One Direction's latest single, "Drag Me Down," took the world by surprise and catapulted to the top of the charts in record time.
Although the newest One Direction song now comes sans the brooding crooner, Malik, it looks like the boy band still holds the public's love and affection as "Drag Me Down" has been climbing higher in the charts mere hours following its release. According to Daily Mail, the remaining One Direction boys just achieved what could be considered as the most remarkable milestone in their lives with this new track. As of Friday morning, "Drag Me Down" has been ranked No. 1 in 82 countries worldwide. The latest single of Styles, Payne, Horan and Tomlinson dropped at around six in the morning (UK time) on Spotify and iTunes.
Meanwhile, it might not take long before One Direction celebrates yet another victory as Malik recently switched labels in an effort to make "real music." In a move that some fans perceived as an additional step by Malik to distance himself from the remaining One Direction boys, Perry Edwards' boyfriend announced that he'll be off the talent roster of Syco and signed with RCA two days prior to the release of "Drag Me Down."
The manager of One Direction, Simon Cowell, later on disclosed that the move is something they have been working on for quite some time now. With the announcement of Malik to launch his own solo career anytime soon, sources believe that this is the best move for the former One Direction member. "It was just felt to be a bit difficult to have 1D and Zayn on the same label - and everyone felt it was better for him to be somewhere different," a source disclosed to The Sun. The insider added, "Since leaving the band, Zayn has changed management and lawyers so it would kind of make sense for him to work with a new label team."
As he waits for his own time to shine, Malik is now content rejoicing with the rest of the One Direction band members on the phenomenal success of "Drag Me Down." In a report from Hollywood Life, a source disclosed that Malik is very supportive and proud of the achievement of his former bandmates. According to the insider, the ex-One Direction crooner "actually thinks the song is pretty good." The source added, "He had a brotherhood with all of them for so long and he knows they are super talented and actually really likes the song. He isn't going to promote it or anything but he is proud of them on how it turned out."
