Zayn Malik has admitted he feels “good” being back on stage weeks after the shock death of his One Direction bandmate Liam Payne.

The 31-year-old singer was left devastated last month when Liam fell to his death from the third floor balcony of the CasaSur Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. On Saturday night, Zayn kicked off his Stairway to the Sky Tour – his first ever headline tour as a solo artist.

He paid tribute to Liam with an emotional message that was beamed onto the stage amid his performance. The touching note read: “Liam Payne 1993-2024. Love you bro,” – and was presented alongside a red heart. And taking to the stage, Zayn admitted he was in good spirits as he sang to a throng of screaming fans.

He told his audience: “It’s good to be back up North.” He was performing at the O2 Academy Leeds and belted out an impressive 18 tracks over the course of the evening.

Zayn beamed a tribute message to Liam on his stage ( Image: X/updatingljp)

According to the Daily Mail, he told his fans: “This might be a pretty decent moment for you all, this is the first time I’ve ever sang this song live… this song is called Pillow Talk.” Many in attendance took to social media to share their joy at being able to see the star on stage – while also reflecting on the sad fact that Liam had died.

One fan wrote on X: “Happy and sad at the same time.” Another typed: “What a beautiful First show and Zayn was amazing and his vocals omg but then leave this tribute just make me cry all over my prayer are with Zayn tonight as he tour too.” And a further fan wrote: “this is such a bittersweet sight, i bet liam would’ve appreciated it.”

Following the announcement of Liam’s tragic death, Zayn penned an emotional tribute to him on Instagram. Sharing a photograph of them hugging together, he wrote: “Liam, I have found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me, I can’t help but think selfishly that there was so many more conversations for us to have in our lives. I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life. When I was missing home as a 17 yr old kid you would always be there with a positive outlook and reassuring smile and let me know you were my friend and that I was loved.”

He continued: “Even though you were younger than me you were always more sensible than me, you were headstrong, opinionated, and gave no f**ks about telling people when they were wrong. Even though we butted heads because of this a few times, I always secretly respected you for it.

“When it came to the music Liam, you were the most qualified in every sense. I knew nothing in comparison, I was a novice child with no experience and you were already a professional. I was always happy to know, no matter what happened on stage we could always rely on you to know which way to steer the ship next.”

The star went on: “I lost a brother when you left us and can’t explain to you what I’d give to just give you a hug one last time and say goodbye to you properly and tell you that I loved and respected you dearly. I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever, there is no words that justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated.”

Zayn added: “I hope that wherever you are right now you are good and are at peace and you know how loved you are. Love you bro.”