Zayn Malik has pulled out of the massive 2016 CapitalFM Summertime Ball set for London on Saturday, due to overwhelming anxiety. The singer announced the cancellation via Instagram earlier in the day:
To all those people who have been waiting to see me perform at the Capital Summertime Ball today..
I flew into the UK last night to appear in my home country in front of my family, friends, and most importantly my UK fans.
Unfortunately my anxiety that has haunted me throughout the last few months around live performances has gotten the better of me…with the magnitude of the event, I have suffered the worst anxiety of my career. I cannot apologize enough but I want to be honest with everyone who has patiently waited to see me. I promise I will do my best to make this up to everybody I’ve let down today.
I know those who suffer anxiety will understand and I hope that those who don’t can empathize with my situation.
Fans may be disappointed, but anxiety is real and debilitating. Like Justin Bieber, who has his own issues with fame, Zayn is an young artist, in his 20s, who ended up in the eye of the celebrity storm as a teen. As a member of One Direction he at least had the rest of the group to lean on and didn’t have to be center stage…
