In his first interview in six years, Zayn Malik has opened up about the reasons behind his sudden departure from the popular boy band One Direction. While initially citing stress as the cause, Zayn revealed in a conversation on the Call Her Daddy podcast that he left the band because he sensed that their days were numbered when the other members refused to sign new contracts.
“I knew something was happening, so I just got ahead of the curve,” said Zayn. “I was like, ‘I’m just going to get out of here, I think this is done.”
“I just seen it [coming] and I completely selfishly wanted to be the first person to go and make my own record. If I’m being completely honest with you, I was like, ‘I’m going to jump the gun here’, Zayn added.
“I’m a passive dude, but when it comes to my music and my business, I’m serious about it and I’m competitive, so I wanted to be the first to go and do my own thing. That was the reason,’ he continued.
The Pillow Talk singer also noted that the intense fame and scrutiny that accompanied their rise to stardom since their debut on X Factor had taken a toll on the band’s friendships, leading to underlying tensions.
“There was obviously underlying issues within our friendships, too. We’d got sick of each other if I’m being completely honest,” Zayn added.
However, with the passage of time, Zayn gained more perspective on his boy band days and now looks back on them with fondness. He acknowledged the unique experiences they shared as a group and the incredible bond they formed. Nevertheless, he believed that their time together had run its course.
“We were close, you know?” he said of the group. “We’d done crazy things with each other that nobody else in the world will ever understand and I look back on it now in a much fonder light than I would have [when] I’d just left.
“There were great experiences, I had great times with them, but we’d just run our course,” he said.
Zayn’s interview also touched upon various aspects of his life, including his struggles with anxiety, his passion for cooking, and his collection of pets. He dismissed his portrayal as “the moody one” in One Direction as a marketing scheme and compared the band’s public personas to iconic pop culture figures like Spice Girls.
Addressing a 2021 incident where he faced harassment allegations from his ex-girlfriend Gigi Hadid and her mother Yolanda, Zayn stated that he “just didn’t want to bring attention to anything,” expressing his desire for privacy.
“I just wasn’t trying to get into a negative back and forth with her [Yolanda], or any sort of narrative online where my daughter was going to look back and read that. There was no point.
“I believe I dealt with it in the best way, an amicable, respectful way, and that’s all that needs to be said,” the star added.
Becoming a father has had a profound impact on Zayn, as he spoke about how it has brought color and joy back into his life. He shared how spending time with his daughter allows him to relive his own childhood and appreciate the vibrant experiences that parenthood brings.
“When I’m with her, I don’t work at all,” he said. “I just spend a full day with her doing things that she wants to do, like painting, Play-Doh… go to the park, go to the theme park, go to the zoo.
“I feel like I’ve rekindled my own childhood through her, you know?
“I feel like we get to a certain point in adult life where everything’s kind of vague and grey and boring, and she’s brought that colour back for me,” Zayn added.
