Zayn Malik recently opened up about his time in One Direction, his solo career, and his personal life in a revealing new interview. The singer provided insight into some of his biggest regrets and lessons learned over the past decade in the spotlight. In this article we talk about what Zayn Malik Big Regret About ‘One Direction’.
On Stepping Back From Solo Promotion
Malik revealed that after releasing his third solo album ‘Nobody Is Listening’ in 2021, he consciously took a step back from promoting it and doing interviews.
“I just took my foot off the pedal a little bit, especially with the promotion and like interviews and things like this. I just was not interested in it at all,” he said. “I just wasn’t interested in it cuz I wasn’t in the place to sit and talk.”
As an introvert, Malik explained that the relentless self-promotion required of a solo artist had started to wear on him after already spending five years in One Direction. It took time for him to “transition” and realize he wanted more success, which requires giving more of himself publicly.
On His Daughter’s Musical Talent
The singer is now a father to his two-year-old daughter Khai, who he shares with model Gigi Hadid. He revealed that Khai is already displaying some musical talent on the drums, which he partly credits to Hadid’s previously unknown prowess at Guitar Hero.
“She can play a little bit. She’s not like expert level, but she’s got a bit of rhythm when she’s hitting the drums. I can tell that she definitely can develop that into something,” Malik said. “Her mom was actually really good at Guitar Hero on the drums. I was like, ‘Maybe she got that from her mom.’ Cuz I was diabolical at it, and G used to beat me all the time.”
On Writing About His Breakup With Gigi
Malik also opened up about his breakup with Hadid, which inspired much of his recent album. He explained that the first song he wrote for the record was “Alienated,” when their relationship was ending.
“So there’s the heavy narrative of the kinds of things I was going through mentally in that situation and what I was thinking and how I was feeling,” he said. “I think in that song specifically I’m talking about not being able to explain to the person that you’re in love with why it is that you necessarily can’t be the best version of the partner you want to be. And that’s a really sad thing.”
While he has moved on, Malik said he had never truly been in love before and was still working through the residual emotions of their split while writing the album.
On One Direction Frustrations
Malik also reflected on his time in One Direction, admitting he had a lot of pent up frustration over not being able to fully express himself creatively. He now recognizes he wasn’t ready at the time to make an album like his latest solo release.
“I was in a five-part band where it was, you know, constant like opinions over opinions. This is what you want to do, and this is what we want to do. So it was hard to really show that individuality,” he explained.
His Biggest One Direction Regret
However, the singer’s biggest regret was not enjoying his meteoric rise to fame more and being too serious as a young teen. He credits his daughter with giving him a new perspective.
“The one thing I always feel bad about when I look back over my life is not enjoying the band enough,” Malik admitted. “I feel like I just took things too seriously. I’m grateful that I’m able to be happier now.”
He said Khai “brought that color back in my life” and taught him the importance of trying to be happy.
On Bandmate Resentment and Compassion
According to Malik, there was definitely underlying resentment between the One Direction members because they were solo artists thrust together in a band. But he now has more compassion for their situations.
“We were so young. And when we were in the band, we didn’t have that level of compassion yet because we didn’t understand life yet,” he reflected. “We should have never felt that way. It should have always been a camaraderie, and we should have always been there for each other and had each other’s backs.”
Malik said he’s become a more caring person over time and wishes he could have had that maturity and perspective back then. Ultimately, he’s learned to see the experience in a more positive light. I sincerely hope you like reading this “Zayn Malik Big Regret About ‘One Direction’? What really happened?” article.
