One Direction traitor Zayn Malik is apparently a diva, or so it shall be written. According to Variety, music manager Sarah Stennett, of First Access Entertainment, has dropped the singer after two years of representation—the pair originally began working together immediately following Malik’s departure from 1D in March 2015. (If I was a pettier person, I’d point out that this is Zayn’s second two-year breakup in 2018; the first was with supermodel Gigi Hadid.)
So why is Malik no longer on the First Access team? The report sites sources who say “the artist is challenging to work with, declining many promotional opportunities and not touring behind his last album.” Translation: he’s a difficult dude who doesn’t do his work.
Management shifts happen, but the timing of Malik’s termination from First Access is suspect. Zayn just dropped “Let Me,” the latest single from his upcoming sophomore solo album, due in June. (You might want a reliable management team in the middle of a campaign.) Earlier this month, too, First Access lost Ellie Goulding to Tap Management, which represents Lana Del Rey and Dua Lipa.
When asked to confirm the Zayn news, Stennett told Variety, “Sometimes in life you have to make extremely difficult decisions to effect positive change for everyone.” Hmm.
Jezebel has reached out to Stennett and Zayn’s rep for comment. We will update this post if we hear back.