Hi, I'm Rachel Hampton.

And I'm Candice Lim, and you're listening to I-C-Y-M-I.

In case you missed it.

Slate's podcast about internet culture.

And Candice, we have to commemorate an international holiday that happened nine years ago this week.

An event that I will be celebrating, thinking about considering the implications of for the rest of my life.

This week is the nine-year anniversary of Zane Malik leaving One Direction.

Moment of silence? Moment over. Moment of silence.

So true.

In 2015, after the release of One Direction's fourth album, creatively titled Four, there were

rumors that Zane had become overwhelmed, mistressed and was having some issues on tour, and he

ended up sitting out their shows in Asia.

And then on March 25th, 2015, he announces he's

leaving the whole thing. He's pulling a Beyonce. And I don't know about you, but this was seismic

for me. I truly believe that everyone knows where they were and who they were. When they found out, Zane was

leaving one direction. It was like finding out Nick Jonas had diabetes. You know, the girlies,

we were hit hard. Yes. But let's get back to the facts. Candace, where were you when you found

out? Zane left one direction.

So I was in high school and I actually was on a spring break trip with my friends in San Diego.

I think the funniest thing in remembering this moment is that a lot of people were like not on spring break.

They were in school. And so this Facebook post hits during the school day. And all these girls are in chemistry class on their knees crying, not about the periodic table, but about Zane. Now, I'm in San Diego. And I'm taking a nap when my friends wake me up and they're like,

hey, Candace, did you see the news? And I'm like, oh my God, did prom get canceled? And they're like,

...