Zayn Malik 'forgot how much I love doing this' as he returns to touring after 10 years

LOS ANGELES — The last time I saw Zayn Malik on stage was the Sept. 13, 2014, One Direction concert at Pasadena's Rose Bowl stadium.

A decade has now passed, and as he sent out his signature falsetto to permeate every corner of downtown LA's Shrine Expo Hall Tuesday night, it felt as if not much had changed in the 10-year break he took from touring.

The now-32 year old, who is on the North American leg of his Stairway to the Sky Tour, still seemed most comfortable glued to the mic stand, his choreography limited to occasional fist pumps and waves to the adoring crowd. His near-angelic vocals still hold the power to mesmerize — and evoke shrill screams of delight.

But unlike his latter years in One Direction, when he often appeared to want to be anywhere but on stage while still delivering some of the group’s most impressive vocals, he now exudes warmth and enthusiasm for these fans who have remained loyal.

Zayn: 'I forgot how much I love doing this'

Maybe it was all the time he’s spent away from the spotlight on his Pennsylvania farm, or perhaps it was the joys of fatherhood that have improved his mental health, which has prevented him from singing to crowds in the past. But I suspect fans’ sustained enthusiasm for his work also played a role in getting him back on stage.

After delivering a gospel-like version of his fan-favorite debut single from 2016, "Pillowtalk," Malik admitted he'd been "nervous" to sing the track, one of his most-streamed songs to date. But he knew it was "a long time coming" for his supporters.

As hundreds of devotees screamed his lyrics back to him during the 75-minute set, and as he punctuated the end of almost every song with an excited exclamatory expletive, it was easy to believe Malik when he told everyone the show would be "impossible without your love and support."

"I forgot how much I love doing this," he said.

Malik's tour has dates through March with stops in Las Vegas, San Francisco and Mexico City, Mexico.

Zayn keeps One Direction references to a minimum

Since One Direction's Where We Are Tour wrapped at the end of 2014, the elusive British singer has put on a surprisingly limited number of live performances considering the volume of music he’s released in his solo career.

Following his crushing departure from One Direction in March 2015, Malik has largely eschewed live performances, instead putting out four studio albums (and soundtrack contributions to blockbuster films "Aladdin" and "50 Shades Darker") with modest promotional efforts.

That streak ends with this tour, whose setlist mostly pulls from 2024's "Room Under the Stairs" but also brings in a handful of songs from his prior albums.

Though he has songwriting credits in One Direction's five-album discography, Malik deviated from his former bandmates by not incorporating any of their music into his solo tour setlist. His boy band days did not get a shoutout during the performance, with the only nod to One Direction being a written tribute to Liam Payne, who died in October at age 31 after falling from a Buenos Aires, Argentina, hotel balcony, that said "Liam Payne 1993-2024 Love you bro ♥" after Malik left the stage.

'It took a while to get back on stage'

During his first of three LA shows, Malik acknowledged his fans went through a lot, including shows he’d canceled early in his solo career due to experiencing "the worst anxiety of my career" as well as the postponement of this tour leg following Payne's death, to finally see him perform his sizable catalog.

"It took a while to get back on stage, but thank you for your patience," he said.

It seemed as if Malik's fans felt their 10 years of patience were worth it both in the loudest moments, when shrieks pierced the air when he shed his jacket, every time he hit a high note and even when he’d offer a brief wave.

The feeling was also apparent in the crowd’s silent awe, when attendees allowed his voice to soak into every cell of their body during the hauntingly beautiful "iT's YoU."

It’s possible that standing in a spotlight center stage is still not Malik's favorite place in the world. But it’s clear he's found joy in music again — and his fans are more than eager to welcome him back.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Zayn Malik first tour post-1D honors Liam Payne, ditches boyband past