Zayn Malik Dedicates Song to 'Brother' Liam Payne During Show in His Hometown: ‘I Hope You’re Seeing This’
Malik — who performed in Wolverhampton, England, on Nov. 29 — is the first One Direction member to speak publicly about Payne following his death on Oct. 16
Zayn Malik is paying a touching tribute to Liam Payne.
Malik, 31, dedicated his song “It’s You” to Payne while performing his Stairway to the Sky Tour in the late singer’s hometown of Wolverhampton, England, on Friday, Nov. 29. He also shared a few words publicly about his late former bandmate, who died on Oct. 16, for the first time.
In a video posted by a fan on X (formerly Twitter), Malik told fans, “So I’ve been doing something at the end of the show every night and it is being dedicated to my brother Liam Payne,” as the crowd responded with a loud cheer.
Malik continued to Payne, “Rest in peace. I hope you see this. We’re in your hometown tonight, Wolverhampton. This is for you Liam. Here's another song, ‘It’s You.’ ”
Payne died at age 31 after falling multiple stories from the balcony of his hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Oct. 16.
Related: Zayn Malik Attends Liam Payne's Funeral Alongside One Direction After Rescheduling Tour Dates
Malik’s latest tribute to Payne comes after he honored the late singer at the first show of his Stairway to the Sky Tour at the O2 Academy in Leeds, England, on Nov. 23. This was also the first show Malik had performed since Payne's death.
Towards the end of the show, a message about Payne appeared on a large screen as Malik’s song "Stardust" played.
In fan footage captured from the touching moment posted on X, the message read, “Liam Payne 1993-2024, Love you bro,” while displayed over a blue background with a red heart.
Malik had attended Payne’s funeral three days before on Nov. 20. He was joined there by his former One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan — in what was their first time being seen publicly altogether since Malik left the group in 2015.
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On Oct. 19, Malik announced that he was postponing his U.S. tour dates following Payne’s untimely death.
The "Dusk 'Till Dawn" singer wrote on his Instagram Stories at the time that "given the heartbreaking loss experienced this week,” he would be rescheduling the dates. "Love you all and thank you for your understanding,” he added.
Malik is now set to perform the first show of his U.S. tour in Washington on Jan. 21, 2025, followed by two shows in New York City at the Hammerstein Ballroom. He will then perform in Los Angeles and Las Vegas before concluding his shows in San Francisco on Feb. 3, 2025.