Zayn Malik cancels Dubai concert over anxiety issues: ‘I do not feel confident’

The former One Direction star told fans that he did not feel 'confident' enough to perform 
Cancelled: Zayn Malik has pulled out of a concert in Dubai
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
Jennifer Ruby6 September 2016
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Zayn Malik has cancelled a concert in Dubai as he battles anxiety issues.

The former One Direction star, who pulled out of the Capital Summertime Ball minutes before his appearance in June, has told fans that he does not feel ‘confident’ enough to perform.

In an open letter to his Dubai fans, the 23-year-old apologised for not being able to attend the ‘One Night Only’ show, planned to take place on October 7.

“I have been working over the last three months to overcome my extreme anxiety around major live solo performances,” he said in a press release.

“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.”

Thomas Ovesen, CEO of event organisers 117Live, told fans: “Whilst disappointed not to be hosting the planned Oct 7 Dubai concert, we appreciate Zayn’s honest apologies and wish him all the best for the future.

“We will be looking forward to sharing more of Zayn’s plans with his Middle East fans when we have such information and will now get the ticket refund process started. See you all at our other events at the Autism Rocks Arena.”

Selena Gomez also pulled out of a planned concert in Dubai last week, over anxiety issues associated with Lupus.

“As many of you know, around a year ago I revealed that I have lupus, an illness that can affect people in different ways,” she told fans.

“I’ve discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges."

Speaking about his battle with anxiety back in July, Malik told Elle magazine: “I just don’t have it in me to feel fully secure in anything I do. I always strive towards something better.

“It’s why I sometimes come across the wrong way – a bit distant. I’m stressed out trying to control how I’m perceived. I think about things a lot."

One Direction's Zayn Malik - In pictures

1/29

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT