Zayn Malik cancels ‘one night only’ Dubai concert

Zayn Malik cancelled his October 7 concert in Dubai due to anxiety. Rich Fury / Invision / AP

Former One Direction chart sensation Zayn Malik has cancelled his Dubai concert due to anxiety.

Malik - who now styles his name simply as Zayn – was expected to perform for “one night only” at the new Autism Rocks Arena in Dubai on October 7.

In an open letter to his Dubai fans he said he had been working on overcoming his anxiety over live performances for three months but did not feel comfortable to perform as yet.

“I feel I am making progress but I have today acknowledged that I do not feel sufficiently confident to move forward with the planned show in Dubai in October,” he said. Malik apologised to his fans and thanked them for their support.

Concert organisers 111Live released a statement saying they were disappointed but appreciated Malik’s honesty: “we will be looking forward to sharing more of Zayn’s plans with his Middle East fans when we have such information,” said chief executive Thomas Ovesen.

Ticket holders will receive a full refund from their respective point of sales – details of refund arrangements can be found on all relevant ticketing partner and event web sites and in-store at Virgin Mega Store outlets.

In June, anxiety led the star to cancel his UK performance at the London Capital Summertime Ball.

The cancellation of Malik's concert follows the confirmation last week that Selena Gomez would have to cancel her performance in Dubai - also due to health concerns.