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One Direction drops surprise single one day after Zayn Malik's new record deal

Don Champion reports on the day's top entertainment stories
One Direction wraps tour without Zayn Malik 01:09

Zayn Malik may have left One Direction to make "#realmusic," but the band has some real music of their own.

Late Thursday, One Direction dropped a brand-new surprise single called "Drag Me Down." Surely that's not a comment on any former bandmates.

In the official release announcing the new single, the song "showcases a more mature One Direction sound." Nothing says "mature" like a song title that some may consider a diss track.

The members of 1D also sent out tweets announcing the new track, and thanked their fans for all the support and love.

In under an hour, #DragMeDown was the top trending topic on Twitter, and fans couldn't contain their excitement for the new song. Some were also very upset that the track was dropped late in the evening, complaining that, if you're a Directioner, you really don't have the luxury of sleep.

The "impromptu release" of the new track comes just a day after Zayn tweeted a photo of himself signing a contract with RCA Records and explaining to fans the reason why he left the British boy band earlier this year. "I guess I never explained why I left , it was for this moment to be given the opportunity to show you who i really am! #realmusic."

Zayn might be able to throw shade, but it looks like he's still going to be living in 1D's shadow.

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