Zayn Malik Reveals The Real Reason He Parted Ways With One Direction: ‘Lot Of Politics Going On’
July 23, 2023 by Marissa Matozzo
In a very rare occurrence, Zayn Malik gave his first official interview in six years when he appeared on the popular Call Her Daddy podcast. The notoriously private “Pillowtalk” singer’s candor was lauded by fans, as he discussed why he left One Direction back in 2015 and gave details on his upcoming music.
Malik also spoke of how fatherhood “saved him,” his love for his 2-year-old daughter Khai (whom he shares with ex Gigi Hadid), his pets and more. The X Factor alum’s interview with podcast host Alex Cooper quickly went viral after it was shared on July 12, 2023.
On March 25, 2015, One Direction fans had a devastating day as Malik left the band, but in his recent interview, he revealed that someone else would have made the same decision if he hadn’t. This showed his belief that his departure was inevitable for the five-member group.
“There was a lot of … look, I don’t want to go into too much detail, but there was a lot of politics going on,” Malik told Cooper during the podcast episode, careful not to mention his ex-bandmates Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson by name.
“Certain people were doing certain things, certain people didn’t want to sign contracts, so I knew something was happening. So I just got ahead of the curve,” he went on. The father of one added: “If I’m being honest with you, I was like, ‘I’m just going to get out of here.’”