Zayn Malik details the “selfish” reasons he left One Direction and admits he and his bandmates eventually “got sick of each other” amid “underlying issues”
Zayn Malik has revealed the “selfish” reasons why he decided to quit One Direction in a candid interview.
The 30-year-old singer left One Direction fans heartbroken in 2015 when he unexpectedly announced he was leaving the boyband to become a “normal” guy at the age of 22.
Zayn has delved deeper into his time with bandmates Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, admitting there were “underlying issues” in their friendship.
He also admitted that the group were “sick of each other” after being together every day for five years, since first forming on the X Factor in 2010.
Speaking to host Alex Cooper during an appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Zayn opened up about the moment he knew it was time to leave, and detailed his desire to pursue a solo career.
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Opening up: Zayn Malik has opened up on the ‘selfish’ reason he decided to quit One Direction during a candid new interview
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All over: The singer, 30, left One Direction fans devastated back in 2015 when he sensationally announced he was leaving the boyband in a bid to be a ‘normal’ then 22-year-old
He said: ‘I don’t want to go into too much detail, but I know there’s a lot of politics, some people don’t want to sign and I know something’s going to happen so I thought I’d go ahead and get out of here, I think this is done.’
He continued: ‘I was completely selfish in wanting to be the first one to do my own album. I was acting rashly and when it comes to my music, I’m serious and competitive and I wanted to be the first one to do it.
‘I’m a passive guy, but when it comes to my music and my business, I’m very serious and competitive, so I wanted to be the first one to do it myself. That’s why.
‘There were obviously underlying issues in our friendship as well, to be honest we were bored with each other.
‘We were together almost every day for five years. We were so close and did crazy things together that no one else in the world could understand. I look back on it now with much more fondness than when I first left. It just flowed.’
Speaking about seeking guidance from his mother about leaving the band, he added: ‘I wasn’t scared of what the world thought, the first thing I wanted to do was ring my mum and say “can I come home?” As soon as she said yes, I was like “OK, I’m done”.
‘I didn’t tell my mum before that I really didn’t think about it. I just rang her up like “Do you have a bed for me?” but my dad said “no with Simon”. I didn’t stay there long until I went back to London to work.’
In a statement when Zayn left the band, he said: ‘I left because I wanted to be a normal 22-year-old guy who could relax and have some private time away from the spotlight.’
Difficult: Zayn went on to explain how record bosses gave different personas to each member of the band, which left him feeling like he couldn’t be his authentic self
He shared: ‘ They use to make out I was the serious one, the mysterious one, that wasn’t really my personality type, I’m just chill, it was just a marketing scheme.
‘I get it but I don’t think you can define on person as that we were a bit more complex than that. I think I just had one face to pull and that was it and fans go with it.’
