Zayn Malik is suspending his first headlining tour following the death of his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne.
On Saturday (Oct. 19), the “Pillowtalk” singer announced on social media that he is delaying his Stairway to the Sky US tour, which was scheduled to kick off on Oct. 23 at San Francisco's Bill Graham Civic Auditorium and end on November. 3 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.
“Given the heartbreaking loss I experienced this week, I have made the decision to postpone the US leg of the STAIRWAY TO THE SKY tour,” Malik wrote to X (formerly Twitter). “The dates are being rescheduled for January and I will post them once they are all finalized in the next few days. Your tickets will remain valid for the new dates. I love you all and thank you for your understanding.”
The former One Direction singer announced his Stairway to the Sky tour during The Tonight Show in mid-September. The trek – which will also visit similarly sized venues in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Washington, DC – marks his first solo outing. According to his websiteMalik was still scheduled at press time to play UK shows in Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, London, Wolverhampton and Newcastle, beginning in late November through early December.
Zayn will have four solo albums of material to choose from during the tour: his 2016 debut, Mind of Mineof 2018 Icarus Fallsof 2021 Nobody's Listening and this year's Room under the stairs.
Malik's tour postponement comes three days after the death of former 1D bandmate and “brother” Payne. Zayn paid tribute to Liam with a heartfelt Instagram post shortly after the tragic news.
“I can't help but think selfishly that there were so many more conversations to be had in our lives,” Malik said he wrote next to a photo of him lying in Payne's arms as the two then-teens take a nap. “I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the hardest times of my life. When I was away from home as a 17-year-old, you would always be there with a positive outlook and reassuring smile and let me know you were my friend and loved.”
Malik's statement came in addition to one from Louis Tomlinson and a joint message from the surviving members of One Direction, in which they noted they are “absolutely devastated by the news of Liam's death”. The team's statement continued, “In time, and when everyone is in position, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our dearly loved brother. The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever.”
Payne died on Wednesday (October 16) after suffering multiple injuries and bleeding after falling from the third floor of his hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a recent preliminary autopsy confirmed. Local authorities believe he was not sober at the time and found what appeared to be drugs and alcoholic beverages in his room after they arrived at the scene.
Watch Zayn's X tour postponement announcement below.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/zayn-malik-postpones-tour-liam-payne-death-1235805943/
