Zayn Malik Reveals the ‘Selfish’ Reason He Left One Direction
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Former One Direction star Zayn Malik recently gave his first interview in six years on the Call Her Daddy podcast, hosted by Alex Cooper. During the chat, Malik shared that he wanted to be the first One Direction member to go solo.
Zayn Malik Shares Why He Left One Direction
In March 2015, Malik announced his departure from One Direction. He’s since released three solo albums. The singer told Cooper that he chose to leave the group because he “knew something was happening, so I just got ahead of the curve.”
Malik said there was “a lot of politics going on” behind the scenes, as “certain people didn’t want to sign contracts.” He said he decided, “I’m just going to get out of here. I think this is done.”
“I, completely selfishly, wanted to be the first person to go and make my own record, if I’m being completely honest with you,” Malik confessed. “I was like, ‘I’m gonna jump the gun here for the first time.’ 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.”
Malik added that there were also “underlying issues, like within our friendships too.” He said he and his bandmates “got sick of each other,” adding, “There were great experiences, I had great times with them, but yeah, we just run our course.”
SEE ALSO: ZAYN MALIK STUNS IN SURPRISE ‘NIGHT CHANGES’ COVER — IS A ONE DIRECTION REUNION ON THE RISE?
Malik Talks About Yolanda Hadid Incident
Malik shares a 2-year-old daughter named Khai with model Gigi Hadid. In 2021, the pair broke up after Malik allegedly had a confrontation with Hadid’s mother Yolanda. At the time, Malik denied allegations that he hit Yolanda, calling the situation “a private matter.”
“I knew what the situation was. I knew what happened, and the people involved knew what happened too. And that’s all I really cared about,” Malik told Cooper. “I just didn’t want to bring attention to anything. I just wasn’t trying to get into a negative back and forth with her — any sort of narrative online where my daughter was going to look back and read that, and be able to read into it.”
Malik said he thinks he dealt with things in an “amicable, respectful way.”
The singer also teased his upcoming music, saying he has a single coming out called “Love Like This.” He added that his upcoming album has a “different sound,” and it will include references to his daughter.
