Is Zayn Malik’s Face Tattoo For Real?

Two weeks before the release of his first album after leaving One Direction, Zayn Malik is already paying tribute to his big solo move. The singer posted the photo of some interesting new ink to Instagram on Friday afternoon. With a demure head tilt away from the camera, he shows off what appears to be a tattoo of a bird in flight, high on the right side of his face. In a banner across are the letters M.O.M. While it would be a sweet tribute to his mother, the letters probably stand for his album’s title, Mind Of Mine. The photo caption simply reads, “Like I would.”

Okay, so while that is the name of the latest single off the album, it’s also a pretty mysterious thing to say when revealing a new tattoo. Is the tattoo real? Is he faking us out? Even for rock stars, a face tattoo is kind of extreme. Many tattoo artists won’t do face and neck tattoos, except on the already heavily tattooed — and some artists just won’t do them, period. Malik already has a neck tattoo, also of a bird, which makes it slightly more believable that the ink is real. Clearly, he might go there. Or would he? The fans are Not. Into. It. Social media is already blowing up with distraught responses.

But should he regret his decision, some are offering words of comfort.