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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at NCSU chapter.

After 8 long awaited years Zayn is finally on tour! Zayn has been teasing a tour for the past 8 years, but his anxiety has been hindering him from doing so every time it is announced. Zayn has been open about his anxiety from the start of his solo career and has given many fans the safe space to be open about their own mental health struggles. For many fans his tour now is the culmination of the growth he’s been achieving and shows that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

This growth is amplified by the fact that his brother and bandmate Liam Payne recently passed, and he is still able perform in honor of him. He started the first show of the tour with a tribute for Liam Payne, with accessories reminiscent of the late star. The tour has been incredibly emotional for many 1D fans who are present for the tributes and can see Zayn’s growth and respect for that time in his life. He had been hesitant to speak about One Direction as that time of his life used to be something he thought of negatively.

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However, recently in both podcasts and interviews he reminisces about that time joyously and has been singing their old songs. He even describes how he is finally able to realize the positives of the band and not paint it all in a negative light. Zayn gives all the credit of this newfound growth to the light of his life, his daughter Khai. He credits all the change and growth to wanting to be a role model for his daughter and doing things she’d be proud of. He wants her to think “yeah, my dad’s pretty cool” as he remarked on the Call Her Daddy podcast with Alex Cooper. This wholesome demeanor is who Zayn is despite his 1D branding as the “bad boy.”

One of the primary reasons for his dislike of the band was that negative image that was attached to him even after he established his solo career. Every action would be seen as him rebelling and being the token “bad boy,” which also made it harder for him to speak about his struggles with anxiety openly.

The Zayn that is being portrayed now is the real Zayn who names his chickens and cries at the vet when they’re sick, wants to be the best role model to his daughter, and has been waiting to give the best tour he possibly could whilst prioritizing his mental well-being.

Maheera Hassan is a new member of Her Campus at NC State. She is responsible for writing at least one article a month and being a contributing member to the chapter she is a part of. In high school, Maheera was a part of a variety of service clubs such as Key Club, Rotary Club, and Leo’s Club. She was also the secretary of her student council all four years of high school. Maheera joined her school’s lacrosse team her sophomore year and participated through her senior year. Outside of school, she worked on an internship with Yale’s Center for Clinical Investigation regarding pediatric clinical studies and outreach through family communication portals. Maheera also loves working with kids! Her junior year of high school she worked at a daycare and this past summer she worked as a camp counselor at her district’s elementary school! Now, Maheera attends NC State, part of the class of 2028. Maheera was born and raised in East Lyme, Connecticut, a town just five minutes from the beach. Because of this she loves the ocean! Maheera has an older sister, and she loves to spend time with family and friends during free time. She loves fashion, jewelry, makeup, watching movies, and most of all, shopping. Her top artists are Sabrina Carpenter and Gracie Abrams.