Zayn Malik has reflected on his departure from One Direction, expressing his regret for not “enjoying” the band before leaving.
Speaking on the Zach Sang Show about his upcoming album, ‘Room Under The Stairs’, which is due to arrive on May 17 via Mercury Records, Malik took some time to ponder about his past with One Direction.
When asked by host Zach Sang if there was anything he’s grateful for today that he wasn’t able to appreciate at the time, Malik said: “The main thing that I always feel bad about when I look back over my life is not enjoying the band enough.”
He explained: “I feel like I just took things too seriously. I’m grateful that I’m able to be happier now. I can actually enjoy things and own my own perspective a bit. Like, glass half full versus it being half empty. That’s my choice.”
He went on to add that as a teen, he “didn’t understand the importance of just trying to be happy.” “I had this teen angst thing going on — chip on my shoulder. I’m like, ‘It’s really cool to be moody as fuck all the time.’ It’s not. You’re just a loser. Let’s be honest, you know what I mean?”
Malik is due to mark his onstage comeback on May 17 to celebrate the release of ‘Room Under The Stairs’. He will be performing at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London. It will mark his first live performance since quitting One Direction in 2015.
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The former One Direction singer has yet to perform live since launching his solo career back in 2016. He cancelled what was to be his debut appearance in June of that same year, citing “the worst anxiety of my career” as his reason for backing out on the date.
Zayn’s last release – 2021’s ‘Nobody Is Listening’ – earned a three-star review, with Dhruva Balram writing for NME: “‘Nobody is Listening’ has its flaws, but Zayn is clearly working out a few chinks in his armour, and this comes across as a step in a new and fresh direction for the enigmatic artist.”
In other news, Zayn recently revealed he’s been revisiting One Direction’s music and he would like a Miley Cyrus collaboration one day. The musician reflected on his time with his former group fondly, saying: “I’ve been listening to a bit of One Direction music recently, reminiscing. Good times.” He added: “We made some good music as a band. We were pretty good.”
The singer also recalled saving his former bandmate Harry Styles from an accident onstage in 2013.