Zayn Malik explained why he quit One Direction while appearing on the Call Her Daddy podcast on Wednesday, July 12. The singer, 30, spoke on a wide range of topics with Alex Cooper during the podcast appearance, including his decision to leave the popular boy band to launch his solo career in 2015. “There was a lot of politics going on. People were doing certain things. People didn’t want to sign contracts. So I knew something was happening,” Zayn said. “So I just got ahead of the curve. I was like, ‘I’m just going to get out of here, I think this is done.’ ”
Zayn continued, “And I completely selfishly wanted to be the first person to make my own record. 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.”
The British musician also admitted that there were “underlying issues” in the friendships between the five members of 1D — Zayn, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Liam Payne — which caused him to leave the group.
“We’ve been together every day for five years and we’ve got sick of each other, if I’m being completely honest,” Zayn said. “We were close. We done crazy things with each other that nobody else in the world will ever understand or have them experiences that we’ve shared with each other. And I look back on it now in a much fonder light than I would’ve as I just left. There were great experiences. I had great times with them. But yeah, we just ran our course.”
Ahead of the podcast appearance, fans were hoping to get the scoop on where Zayn stands with his fellow members of One Direction. The singer revisited one of the boy band’s old songs in an August 2022 Instagram video. He performed an acapella cover of a snippet of “Night Changes.” While the video has long since been deleted, it did capture the attention of some of his former bandmates, namely Louis Tomlinson. The Faith In The Future singer “liked” the clip, but he showed that he was still working through some “hard” feelings about his ex-bandmate when asked about their relationship in a Zach Sang Show interview in September 2022. “I believe I said I don’t think I’m mature enough to get over what’s frustrated me in that relationship,”Louis said, mentioning his response to the last time he was asked the question. “I don’t know if I’m mature enough now, but I’m definitely closer to being over all that.”
The appearance also came as fans have been getting excited about the possibility of new music from Zayn. He confirmed on Call Her Daddy that he’s coming out with a new song, “Love Like This”, on July 21, and admitted he’s “nervous” to return to the stage. “But I have this energy, too,” the “Dusk Till Dawn” singer said. “I have something to give and I want to get on stage and be there again and feel that.” Zayn also acknowledged how his fans have “always been supportive” throughout his career.
Zayn went on Call Her Daddy nearly two years after the singer’s relationship with model Gigi Hadid, 28, came to an end after six years. The couple broke up following a reported altercation, where Zayn allegedly “grabbed and shoved” the model’s mother Yolanda. Since the split, there were some rumors about him dating other women, but he didn’t confirm any other relationships.
While the pair split up, they still maintain a co-parenting relationship for their daughter Khai, 2. “Since I’ve had my daughter, the main thing in my mind is trying to be a good example to her,” he said on Call Her Daddy. Earlier in July, the “Pillow Talk” singer shared an adorable photo of himself doing some yard work that he said his daughter had taken.