Zayn Malik Quit One Direction To Be The First Member To Go Solo & Says Group Was “Sick Of Each Other” By The Time He Left

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Zayn Malik is promoting his new single “Love Like This” and spilling some tea on the reasons he left One Direction. As Malik gets back into the spotlight promoting his new musical release, the X-Factor alum made an appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast and talked about his time in the boyband he was in for five years. “I completely, selfishly wanted to be the first person to go and make my own record, if I’m being completely honest with you,” he said on one of the reasons he left One Direction to pursue his solo career. “I was like, ‘I’m gonna jump the gun here for the first time.’ I’m a passive dude, but when it comes to my music and my business, I’m serious about it and I’m competitive.

So I wanted to be the first to go and do my own thing.” He also said there was a lot of “politics going on” within the group that pushed him to exit the band adding, “Certain people were doing certain things.

Certain people didn’t want to sign contracts. So I knew something was happening [and] I just got ahead of the curve.” By the time Malik quit the boyband, he said they all grew “sick of each other” adding, “We’d been together every day for five years and we got sick of each other if I’m being completely honest […] I look back on it now in a much fonder light than I would have as I just left.” Although Malik distanced himself from being associated with One Direction, he now looks at the experience with fond memories. “Now I look back at it like it was a rush, you know?

It was fun and it was something that was amazing, so of course I wasn’t going to understand it. It’s not something I expected in my life, but it was definitely fun for sure,” he said.