Zayn Malik delights fans with sweet gesture after shock decision

Zayn Malik sent his fans into a frenzy by making a much-needed appearance long after wrapping up his debut solo tour.

While his loyal fanbase, dubbed the Zquad, had hoped to see him make an appearance at the 2025 Met Gala, the former One Direction star skipped the fashion extravaganza. Instead, he delighted his followers with a rare new selfie.

Taking to his Instagram Stories on Tuesday, May 6, a day after the star-studded event, which was attended by his ex-girlfriend Gigi Hadid—notably without her rumored fiance Bradley Cooper—Zayn, 31, shared a moody side-profile shot.

The Dusk Till Dawn hitmaker flashed his signature smirk, showing off longer hair and a fuller beard than fans had seen in his previous post on April 1.

Zayn's sudden return sparked immediate excitement on Reddit, where fans erupted joyfully.

One user exclaimed, "ZAYN IS BACK I'M SO HAPPYYYY," while another wrote, "AHHHHH MISSED HIM SO F*****G MUCHHHHH!"

His grown-out locks and rugged look made many fans reminisce about his One Direction days.

"His hair brings me back to 2014 Zayn! Omg [teary eyes emoji]," one commented. Another added, "Fastest hair grower I know," while a third agreed, "LITERALLY! I say this all the time. It’s amazing how fast his hair grows."

For the unversed, the Night Changes singer has not attended the Met Gala since 2016, when he appeared alongside then-girlfriend Gigi.

He later expressed disinterest in returning to the event, as per Mint and Cosmopolitan, preferring to stay home and do something productive.

Notably, Zayn’s smiling selfie marks his first social media appearance since the Victoria's Secret model went Instagram official with Cooper, 50, last month, just a week after celebrating her 30th birthday.