Zayn Malik, a former member of the popular boy band One Direction, recently shed light on his departure from the group and shared his thoughts on the situations involving Yolanda Hadid, the mother of his former girlfriend, Gigi Hadid.
According to Malik, he came to the realization that their time as a band was coming to an end when his fellow bandmates declined to sign new contracts. This pivotal moment seemed to signify the conclusion of their journey together.
“I knew something was happening, so I just got ahead of the curve,” Malik said. “I was like, ‘I’m just going to get out of here, I think this is done.’”
In anticipation of his highly-awaited comeback single “Love Like This,” British singer Zayn Malik made his first interview appearance in six years. He sat down with Alex Cooper on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast to discuss his music and upcoming release.
This marked a significant moment for Malik as he opened up to the public after a long hiatus from interviews.
“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,’” Malik said.
“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.”
“There was obviously underlying issues within our friendships, too. We’d got sick of each other, if I’m being completely honest,” Malik added.
“We were close… 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,” Malik added. “There were great experiences, I had great times with them, but we’d just run our course.”
Malik left One Direction during their 2015 tour, citing stress as the reason.
Back in 2021, there were allegations made against Zayn Malik, claiming that he had physically harmed Yolanda Hadid. However, Malik firmly denied these accusations.
It’s important to note that despite the seriousness of the charges, he chose not to contest them, taking into account the well-being of Khai, his daughter with Gigi Hadid.
“I just didn’t want to bring attention to anything,” Malik said, adding that he wasn’t “trying to get into a negative back and forth” with Yolanda Hadid, 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,” Malik added.
Malik signed with Mercury Records last month. “Love Like This” releases July 21.
