Naughty Boy Releases Zayn Malik's First Solo Song After Feuding With Louis Tomlinson

It seems One Direction's Louis Tomlinson isn't taking Zayn Malik's departure from the boy band so well. The 23-year-old found himself in the middle of a heated fight with English music producer Naughty Boy late last night after reading some suggestive tweets posted on his timeline.

The spat began after the producer shared a series of posts referencing Zaughty, the name given to he and Malik amid speculation that the two were working together. Things intensified after he tweeted a photo of a quote which read, "Respect yourself enough to walk away from anything that no longer serves you, grows you, or makes you happy." Fans speculated that it was a reference to Malik walking away from One Direction after five long years. He then retweeted a video that said, "Zaughty saved my life." Things quickly got ugly, with angry Directioners attacking the hit maker, blaming him for the split.

Before long, Tomlinson jumped in, calling Naughty "inconsiderate" and telling him to "grow up." The producer fired back, denying any of his messages had been about Malik leaving the band, but the argument continued. Tomlinson eventually conceded that he had lost his temper and moved on, instead focusing on upcoming shows.

Then, Naughty Boy did the unthinkable. Just as fans thought the battle had ended, the music mogul delivered his final, and perhaps most devastating blow. Naughty Boy shared a link to a project he and Malik had apparently been working on, reinforcing the fact that rumors of the 22-year-old's impending solo career were in fact true.

The song, titled "I Won't Mind," appears to be a romantic ballad. Though the current version is hardly a polished, radio-ready hit, many sites claim it proves Malik was one of the stronger members of One Direction. These claims, as well as the new music, hit Directioners hard. They began attacking Naughty Boy, blaming him for Malik leaving the group. He did his best to brush them off saying, "time will tell the real story."

It remains unclear if that means fans should expect an interview regarding the music, as well as future projects, or not. Aside from Tomlinson's Twitter outburst, the remaining members of One Direction have not addressed Malik's career as a solo artist, or his leaving the band, any further.

Malik left the band permanently March 25, nearly a week after bowing out of their world tour. The singer claimed he wanted to live a more "normal" life, though many speculated his reasons for leaving were related to fiancée Perrie Edwards. Fans quickly began attacking her, calling her the new Yoko Ono. Others presumed Malik simply no longer wished to shared the spotlight with his band mates. These claims were further supported by an interview he did with The Sun shortly after making the announcement of his departure. He told the paper he planned to spend his time away from the stage writing new music, revealing that he had a studio session booked for the following day.

One Direction is currently preparing to head to Cape Town, South Africa for the latest show on their On The Road Again Tour. A statement released by the band promised Directioners they will continue on as a four-person group, playing the remainder of their world tour and finishing their upcoming album.