Four days after unveiling “Drag Me Down,” its first single as a quartet, One Direction gave the first televised performance of the new track on Good Morning America on Tuesday morning (Aug. 4) and briefly teased its fifth studio album in front of an exuberant crowd in New York’s Central Park.
After warming up the crowd with “Steal My Girl,” the lead single from their 2014 album Four, and “Story of My Life,” the breakout hit from its 2013 set Midnight Memories, the 1D boys sunk their teeth into “Drag Me Down,” with Liam Payne leading the handclaps and Harry Styles goading the crowd with fist-pumps and makeshift dance moves. It was clear that One Direction was excited to have some new material to perform live: the foursome’s energy level during the first two songs was admirable, but it shot through the roof when the chorus of “Drag Me Down” made its full impact.
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After releasing “Drag Me Down” on Friday morning (July 31), One Direction performed the song for the first time live that night in Indianapolis. “Drag Me Down” also set a new Spotify record for one-day streams, with 4.75 million global plays on Friday.
Produced by John Ryan and Julian Bunetta, “Drag Me Down” is One Direction’s first single without Zayn Malik, who left the group last March. When asked about Malik’s departure by Michael Strahan on GMA prior to the performance, 1D’s Liam Payne said of the group, “Obviously it’s different … but it’s still going great, and that’s what this album is about.
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“I suppose it’s quite eclectic, really,” Payne continued of the album, due out later this year. “We took a lot of older inspirations from older artists.”
Louis Tomlinson was also asked by Strahan about his impending fatherhood, to which he replied, “Obviously it’s a very exciting time.”