Zayn Malik supported his former band mates as he gushed over the new single by One Direction called "Drag Me Down" on his social media.

Perrie Edwards' fiance tweeted,"Proud of my boys the new single is sick. Big love. :) x"

The One Direction dropped its new single "Drag Me Down" just hours after Zayn Malik announced his solo career.

Zayn Malik on Twitter announced that he's signing a record deal with RCA and also threw some shade on One Direction.

"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 #RCA !!"

Digital Spy reported that the new single "Drag Me Down" is the most successful global launch for One Direction.

"The song has now reached No.1 on iTunes in 82 countries since its release this morning (July 31)," the report said. "It has also been the top worldwide Twitter trend for over ten hours, with 22,000 tweets per minute sent about it, and 3.2 million tweets in total by 3pm today."

Rolling Stone in its review said that One Direction is off to a good start without Zayn Malik with "Drag Me Down."

"The pop-rock track shifts the band's sound from the softer folk of their last album, Four, back to the more upbeat, electronic heavy elements of their first two albums," it said.

Billboard magazine also said that One Direction's "Drag Me Down" featured the "mature" sound that the band has been aiming for.

Jason Lipshutz wrote in his review, "However, 'Drag Me Down' also teeters upon an age-old theme for pop groups: fan appreciation. On its first single without recently departed member Zayn Malik -- and its first since its five-year anniversary as a group -- One Direction romantically alludes to the diehard Directioners and their place in the group's phenomenal run of success; it's basically the Backstreet Boys' 'Larger Than Life' with a slightly less bombastic guitar riff."