Zayn Malik opens up on his take on One Direction’s breakup as a boy band.
During an appearance on Wednesday’s episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, the singer admitted that while he appreciates the time he’s now had in the band, all five members eventually “got fed up with one another.”
“There were obviously underlying issues within our friendship as well,” he said. “We were together every day for five years.”
One Direction, which also included Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne, was originally formed in 2010 by the judges of The X Factor after they each auditioned individually for the singing competition show. Despite placing third on the show, the band enjoyed massive success, releasing five studio albums and scoring six Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Then, in 2015, Malik announced that he was leaving the band to pursue his own solo career as a musician. It was a decision he now reveals he “knew for a minute” before leaving. The following year, after Malik’s departure, One Direction officially announced their retirement.
“I don’t want to go into too much detail, but there was a lot of politics going on,” the singer told podcast host Alex Cooper. “Certain people did certain things, certain people didn’t want to sign contracts, so I knew something was happening. If I’m honest, I’m just a step ahead of the times. I was like, ‘I’ll just get out of there.’ I think that’s done.’ And I had just seen it.”
Since leaving the band, Malik has released three solo albums including Mind of Mine (2016), Icarus Falls (2018) and Nobody is Listening (2021).
The singer also admitted that when he decided to leave One Direction, he “completely selfishly wanted to be the first to make my own record, if I’m being completely honest.”
“I was like, ‘This is my first strike,’ he continued. “I’m a passive guy, but when it comes to my music and my business, I take it seriously and I’m competitive. So I wanted to be the first to do my own thing.”
The other One Direction members have also released their own solo music, including Harry Styles, whose latest album, Harry’s House, won Album of the Year at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
Now, more than a decade after forming one of the most notorious boy bands, Malik said he can look back and appreciate the memories he made during that period in his life.
“I look back on it in a much more loving light now than I would have, you know, since I had just left,” he added. “It was a great experience. I had a great time with them – but yeah, we just do our course.”