‘Own direction’ was always on the cards for Zayn
Bradford-born singer Zayn Malik – a former member of pop superstars ‘One Direction’ – has revealed he did not want to be in the band from the outset.
The band, which was put together on ITV’s The X Factor – and initially finished in third place back in 2010 – has become a worldwide name in the world of music. Malik spent four years in the band with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne.
In an interview this week with Zane Lowe on the Beats 1 radio show, the 23-year-old said: “I think I kind of always wanted to go.
“I just gave it a go because it was there at the time. I think I kind of always wanted to go. From the first year, I never really wanted to be there in the band.
“When I realised the direction that we were going in, mind the pun, with the music, I instantly realised it wasn’t for me. How do you write a song from five people’s perspective?
“I realised I couldn’t put any input in. I couldn’t give my opinion on this or that because it didn’t fit the grain of what we were as a band, or what we represented. So, that’s when it became frustrating for me.”
Malik stated that leaving was not something he ‘really had to think about’ or agonise over.
“I think the boys knew that in terms of the music, it wasn’t my cup of tea,” he said. “They were aware of that – always. They were trying to facilitate certain things for me, like certain R&B adlibs here and there.”
He continued: “When I was leaving the band, they obviously didn’t want me to leave. They couldn’t talk me out of it at that point. I’d already made up my mind, so I just left.”
In addition to reflections about One Direction, Malik also spoke about his forthcoming solo album.
Despite his long-awaited comeback, Malik has already pulled out of his first solo TV appearance since his big split from One Direction, cancelling an interview with The Graham Norton show, that coincided with the release of his first solo single, ‘Pillowtalk’.
It was due to air this Friday but was cancelled due to ‘scheduling issues’.
