Zayn Malik takes subtle jab at Harry Styles amid ticket price backlash
The long-rumoured feud between Zayn Malik and his former One Direction bandmates might be set to rear its ugly head once again.
This time, it's Harry Styles that the 'Pillowtalk' hit-maker has seemingly taken issue with this week - or more specifically, his upcoming world tour.
For those who missed it, 31-year-old Styles took to Instagram last Thursday (22 Jan), where he delighted fans with the news he'd set to hit the road later this year, whilst simultaneously teasing the upcoming release of his fourth studio album, Kiss All the Time. Disco.
He'll host a record-breaking 12 gigs in London for over a million British fans, before hopping across to Amsterdam, São Paulo in Brazil, Mexico City, New York, Melbourne and Sydney, playing similarly extended residences in each.
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Since then, the struggle for fans to nab tickets to his 'Together, Together' tour has been real - and not just because of Ticketmaster's tiresome tendency to kick users off its site mid-purchase.
The ever-increasing cost of concert ticket has music-listeners tearing their hair out, with a seat at one of Styles' shows setting them back between £44.10 and £466.25 - and a huge proportion of these will be 'Restricted View', given the shape of Wembley Stadium.
For standings, fans were being expected to cough up anything between £144.65 to £279.45, and VIP packages are still going for between an even more staggering £468.85 to £725.45.
One Reddit user claimed they've been left 'so disappointed and frustrated' by the exclusivity of the string of shows. Another, meanwhile, slammed Styles' extortionate pricing as 'tone deaf', adding: "It really shows that he has lost touch with the real world."
A third fan also confessed: "I just cannot pay that kind of money. It feels exploitative."
As we say, however, isn't just fans who've raised a grievance over the jaw-dropping price of concert tickets nowadays, with one of Styles' very own ex-besties also firing a dig in his direction.
Performing at one of his own shows in Dolby Live at Park MGM in Vegas, 33-year-old Zayn Malik issued a rather pointed remark.
"Who’s from Vegas? Who’s from elsewhere?" the 'I Don't Wanna Live Forever' star began. "I just want to say a big, big thank you to each and every single one of you for being here with me tonight."
Smiling, Malik added: "You could’ve been anywhere, [but] you decided to spend your night with me. Hopefully the ticket prices weren’t too high - just saying!"
Shrugging and widening his eyes as if to confirm his comments are all in jest, the singer continued: "Anyway!..."
Now, in Styles' defence, he did pledge earlier this week that he plans to donate £1 of every ticket sold to a fund specifically designed to help new musicians, groups and smaller entertainment venues with any help they may need.
If you're now sitting there wondering what possible difference £1 might make when compared to tickets that are going for three-figure sums, worry not.
You're not the only one.
"£1 from a £1000 ticket? I would be embarrassed even to have that headline," snapped one fan earlier this week.
"Is this their idea of damage control?" another questioned. "If so, £1 is not cutting it!"
Styles has not yet publicly responded to Malik's comments - though it's likely they rubbed a nerve given that he, Malik and their three former bandmates - Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and the late Liam Payne - were are said to have been at logger-heads since 'Zayn' went solo in 2015.
The years that followed saw certain members of the group (cough, Tomlinson and Malik, cough) continually throwing shade at one another during conversations with the press.
When Payne sadly died in October 2024 after falling from a hotel balcony, however, the group attended his funeral together, implying they were each ready to let bygones be bygones.
Topics: Harry Styles, Music, Celebrity, US News, UK News
Rhianna Benson