Fans React To Former Boy Band Member’s New Look That Makes Him Almost Unrecognizable

It’s no secret that our society is heavily biased towards celebrities. Whether it’s a bad or a good thing is a topic for another time or maybe just a matter of each person’s opinion. Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that it is how it is. 

Sometimes people can overly freak out when a celeb they like does even a casual thing like posting a photo on social media. After all, fans always find even the smallest details to obsess over. The perfect example of such an event happened recently. 

Sometimes even a rather small action done by a celebrity can send their fans into a spiral of excitement

Close-up of a former band member with a thick beard and cap, looking almost unrecognizable in a casual indoor setting.

Image credits: zayn / Instagram

Here, recently former boy band One Direction member Zayn Malik posted a photo on his Instagram page

A former boy band member, now solo singer, stuns fans with his unrecognizable look in a new Instagram post. 

Back in the 2010s, the boy band One Direction took the world by storm. The band consisted of five guys Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, and the late Liam Payne. 

In 2015 it was reported that, at least at the time, the band had broken 6 Guinness records throughout their run. They were the first group (and first UK group) to debut at No.1 with their first four albums in the US; the highest debut by a UK group on the US singles chart; the most popular dance game track on Just Dance 4; most followers on Twitter for a music group and most subscribers for a band on YouTube. 

Former band member with tattoos and earrings, wearing a purple graphic tee, sitting and smiling during an interview session.

Image credits: Noam Galai / Getty Images

Overall, the group sold over 70 million records worldwide and won nearly 200 awards such as Artist Global Recording Artist of the Year by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry in 2013 or Artist of the Year by Billboard in 2014. They were such a big deal that often the “fan hysteria” was comparable to the one of Beatlemania (the fan frenzy of the British rock band the Beatles). 

All we mentioned is just the tip of the iceberg of how the band’s success looked like. Basically, they were a very huge deal in the first half of the 2010s. Then, in 2016 they took a hiatus, which at first was promised to be a temporary break but later turned to a permanent split, which let each member pursue solo careers. 

The simple photo quickly gathers a lot of attention from fans and various Instagram pages due to the way singer looks in it

Young man with spiked blonde and black hair and earrings, former band member looks unrecognizable in this close-up portrait.

Image credits: Majora / Wikipedia

And so, they did pursue those careers, Zayn getting a head start by leaving the band first. Yet, all these years fans kept bringing up the rumors of a possible reunion, which the band didn’t do prior to L. Payne’s death, but have released a joint statement paying tribute to him.

While the 1D mania might have passed its peak, it doesn’t mean that the artists do not have loyal fans, who still (at least partially) freak out over the things they do to this day.

Five former band members posing together, with one looking unrecognizable compared to their earlier image.

Image credits: Stuart C. Wilson / Getty Images

People start gushing (or criticizing) his looks or expressing their surprise that he’s a The Last Of Us fan

Here, a few days ago, Zayn Malik, now aged 32, posted a photo on his Instagram account with over 50M followers, which sent some people into a frenzy. In this photo, he’s sporting a full, bushy beard and a baseball cap from the HBO show The Last of Us.

The people found plenty of things in this simple pic to go nuts over. For instance, many were amazed that the singer is a fan of the show, whose name is on his cap, and kept asking him whether he liked season 2 or even asking him to marry them. 

Former band member looks unrecognizable during a live concert performance with other bandmates on stage.

Image credits: Fiona McKinlay / Wikipedia

His bushy look, of course, gathered a lot of attention too. Some pointed out that he looked like a trucker, while others revealed they couldn’t take their eyes off the picture. You know, to each its own. 

A few even noticed that Zayn’s former bandmate, Louis, with whom he has a friendship full of ups and downs, liked the photo, which was a big deal for the directions. 

Essentially, what this simple photo shows is that sometimes a celebrity doesn’t have to do that much to send their fans into a spiral. And while that doesn’t turn into a self or other threatening matter, we don’t think there’s really anything that wrong with it. 

They also quickly notice that Zayn’s former bandmate Louis liked the post, which becomes another big point of discussion

Comment on social media post showing fan interaction about a former band member who looks unrecognizable with crying emoji.

Diplo wearing a cap and smiling in a casual setting, sparking curiosity about the former band member looks unrecognizable.

Comment from social media user talitaazevedob expressing admiration with a heart-eyes emoji on a post about a former band member who looks unrecognizable.

User comment on social media expressing excitement about a former band member who looks unrecognizable.

Screenshot of social media comment by naughty_dog_inc saying You love to see it with 959 likes, featuring former band member looks unrecognizable.

Comment from humanbyorientation on Instagram expressing strong emotions about the former band member looking unrecognizable.

Comment by capitalofficial on social media, praising a man with taste in a casual interaction. Former band member looks unrecognizable.

Instagram comment by user nivinecheaito posted 3 days ago, expressing they haven’t moved for four hours, former band member looks unrecognizable.

Streamonmax social media comment saying Hope you enjoyed season 2 with verified badge and 37 likes.

Comment on social media saying need yall to stop lusting over my man, reflecting conversation about former band member looks unrecognizable.

Comment on social media post saying somebody should give former band member a razor as they look unrecognizable.

Comment on social media post reading looking homeless bro, referencing former band member looks unrecognizable.

Comment on social media showing a user mentioning a former band member looking unrecognizable with an emotional emoji.

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