Dubai: Fans of teenage sensation Zayn Malik say they are ‘heart-broken’ after the former One Direction star cancelled his upcoming gig in the UAE this week due to anxiety.
Disappointment
After calling off a performance in London in June because of the same reason, Malik’s date with Dubai on October 7 was going to be his first solo concert since his departure from the British boy band last year.
However, Malik, who now simply calls himself Zayn, announced on Tuesday via a tweet from the event organisers 117Live that he will not be performing at the Autism Rocks Arena next month, leaving many of his die-hard fans gutted.
“I can’t believe he is not coming to Dubai anymore. I was super excited about the show all this while and now there’s nothing to look forward to next month,” said Sasha, 16, a year 11 student from Dubai, who claims to be one of the first ones to have purchased a ticket when the event was first announced over three months ago.
“I really wanted to see Zayn make his solo debut in Dubai. That would have been something for us here. Such a shame that it’s not happening,” said Maryl, another 16-year old fan of the $49m worth Pillowtalk singer. Sadly for Dubai music fans though the news of the Bradford-born artist’s ‘no show’ comes just a week after another teenage heart-throb, Selena Gomez cancelled her November 18 gig at the same venue because of ‘health reasons’.
While the 24-year-old American star said she would take a break to overcome panic attacks and depression she suffered as side effects of lupus disease, Malik, 23, this week said he was battling anxiety. “I have been working over the last three months to overcome my extreme anxiety around major live solo performances, I feel I am making progress but I have today acknowledged that I do not feel sufficiently confident to move forward with the planned show in Dubai in October,” read the show organiser’s tweet and press release.
Ticket holders will receive full refund, details of which can be found on all relevant ticketing partner, event web site and in-store at Virgin Mega Store outlets.