Zayn Malik to launch solo career

Zayn Malik is going in his own direction.

The former member of British boy band One Direction announced on Twitter he will be beginning a solo career.

One week after Malik's departure from the band there were reports he had recorded his first solo track, actually an old demo for One Direction's album "Four."

"I guess I never explained why I left," the singer tweeted on Thursday. "It was for this moment to be given the opportunity to show you who i really am! #realmusic #RCA !!"

Malik signed with RCA Records to release his debut solo album. He tweeted a photo of himself signing the paperwork.

"Zayn's a genius songwriter with an incredible voice, and we are proud to have him join our roster of iconic superstars," RCA's Peter Edge and Tom Corson said in a statement. "We are thrilled he has entrusted us to deliver his personal artistic vision to millions of his fans across the globe."

Simon Cowell, whose group Syco Entertainment is the home of One Direction's record label, tweeted his congratulations to Malik. "We have been working on this for a while and I am pleased to say congratulations to @Zaynmalik on signing with @RCARecords," Cowell wrote.

Malik announced he was leaving One Direction in March after five years with the chart-topping band. At the time, he cited stress as the reason and said he wanted "to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight."

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• Simon Cowell