Zayn Malik gives his first interview in six years to speak about fatherhood and the breakup of One Direction

On the heels of former One Direction boybander Liam Payne posting a YouTube video apologizing for his comments surrounding his ex-bandmates, fellow 1Der Zayn Malik has given his first interview in a whopping six years to speak about the breakup of the fab five, his fatherhood journey, and more.

Talking to host Alex Cooper on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Zayn said that he finally felt comfortable speaking publicly after years of no press. "I feel like we were so overexposed in the band," he said of his time performing alongside Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Liam Payne. "That's why I took the time that I have to, like, not even necessarily do interviews."

He continued to Cooper on his choice to leave the group in 2015, “I think I’ve known for a minute. Look I don’t want to go into too much detail, but there was a lot of politics going on, certain people were doing certain things, certain people didn’t want to sign contracts, so I knew something was happening.”

“There was obviously underlying issues, like within our friendships, too. We’ve been together every day for five years, and we got sick of each other, if I’m being completely honest. So we were close.”

He also lamented how members of pop groups tend to have labels thrust upon them, rather than it being a true representation of who they are. “They just said, ‘Oh yeah, you can be the mysterious one.’ That wasn’t necessarily my personality, I’m just chill,” he revealed. “I know that a lot of people have high-energy personalities, and it’s just not the way I am.”

The “Pillowtalk" singer went on to reveal that he didn’t even tell his own mother that he was quitting the group that got its start on the British iteration of “X-Factor,” instead just telling her he was coming home and wanted his old bed back.

“I didn’t really care about what anybody else thought, that’s the type of person I am,” he explained. “I tried to close those opinions off. I’m not really the type of person that defines myself on other people’s opinions.”

However, he is “still nervous” to take the stage again. He hasn’t performed much since leaving 1D, and has trepidation about it.

“I’m still nervous now cause it’s been a few years [since] I’ve been on stage, but I have this energy too. I feel like I have something to give and I want to get on stage and be there again and feel that,” he said. “That’s one thing I can say, my fan base has always been supportive in that manner.”

He also spoke a bit about being a father to his daughter Khai, whom he shares with ex-girlfriend Gigi Hadid. The pair split in 2021 after reports emerged of a physical altercation between Zayn and Gigi’s mother Yolanda. E! News obtained a police report stating that Zayn "grabbed and shoved" Yolanda "into a dresser causing mental anguish and physical pain." 

While Zayn denied any wrongdoing, he pleaded no contest to four counts of harassment. E! News reported he was put on probation and ordered to complete an anger management class.

While that incident wasn’t mentioned during the “Call Her Daddy” chat, Zayn spoke about what being a single father is like for him. 

"Since I've had my daughter, the main thing in my mind is trying to be a good example to her," he told Cooper. "That's why I'm even doing this interview, you know? I used to get a lot of anxiety around having a conversation like this. And I want her to be able to look at me and be like, 'My dad's doing this.'"

"I keep being told I'm telling dad jokes. And I'm leaning into it. I'm just like, 'It's OK. It's cool.'"

Elsewhere, Zayn dropped a little fun fact about his love for animals and for *checks notes* caring for a pet chicken. Yes, you read that right.

“I took my chicken to the vet to get a scan because something was wrong with her and the vet laughed at me and said, ‘People don’t bring chickens here,'” he said. “I took my chicken all the way and cried. And she died in my arms… It is kinda funny seeing me take the chicken to the vet.”

For his fans, Zayne has nothing but love. “They’re always just like, we’re here, we’ve got you. Like, when you’re ready we’ve got you,” he said. “We’re gonna come and listen to your tunes. I gotta be super, super thankful for that and I’m super grateful. I feel that love for sure. I’m ready to prove these people right.”

To that end, Zayn is set to release his new single "Love Like This" on July 21. “I’m doing a record I don’t think people are really gonna expect, it’s a different sound for me,” he said. “And it’s got some more narrative going on, like real-life experiences and stuff. My daughter’s mentioned in there a couple of times.”

You listen to Zayn’s entire chat with Alex Cooper on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast here.