Zayn Malik left One Direction fans devastated in 2015 when he sensationally announced that he was leaving the boy band.
Like any other friendship group, Zayn and his bandmates Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson have had their fair share of ups and downs.
And in a new interview, Zayn delved into his time with his bandmate, admitting there were “underlying issues” in their friendship.
He also admitted that the group got “tired of each other” after being together every day for five years, having first formed on X Factor in 2010.
As Zayn revisits his former bandmates, MailOnline takes a look back at all the times One Direction have snapped at each other over the years.
Split: Zayn Malik left One Direction fans devastated in 2015 when he sensationally announced he was leaving the boy band (pictured on X Factor in 2010)
Opening: In a new interview, Zayn delved into his time with his bandmate, admitting there were “underlying issues” in their friendship.
March 2015
Zayn left One Direction fans devastated in 2015 when he sensationally announced that he was leaving the boy band in an attempt to be a “normal” 22-year-old.
In a statement when Zayn left the band, he said: “I’m leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old guy who can relax and have some private time out of the spotlight.”
He then signed a solo contract to make music with RCA records and made a hint to the band by stating that it was time to make “real music”.
He wrote on Twitter: ‘I don’t think I ever explained why I left, it was for this moment to have a chance to show you guys who I really am! #realmusic #RCA!!’
January 2016
Nearly a year after leaving the boy band, Zayn admitted, “I think I always wanted to go, from the first year, really.”
Throwing more shade, he added: ‘I never really wanted to be there, like in the band. I just tried it because I was there at the time, and when I realized the direction we were going (mind the pun) with the music, I instantly realized it wasn’t for me, because I realized that I couldn’t put any input in.’
A couple of months later, One Direction went on an “extended hiatus”.
November 2016
Zayn won his first solo AMA and as Niall watched from the audience, Zayne asked in his acceptance speech, ‘This one only has my name on it, right?’
June 2017
Liam gave Zayn Malik a rather bizarre punch during the Glamor Awards. He was on stage introducing James Corden with the ‘Man of the Year’ gong and quipped to the raven: ‘1D never had a catchphrase, but if we had, Zayn might have stuck around.’
Group: Like any other friendship group, Zayn and his bandmates Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson have had their fair share of ups and downs (pictured 2014)
Reaction: Liam has damaged his relationship with his former bandmates a bit in recent years, especially when he made some controversial comments on Paul Logan’s podcast.
March 2018
It was clear the feud was still going strong between Liam and Zayn after another sly dig on Twitter.
Liam tweeted to Niall, Louis and Harry when he saw the #OneDirectionBestFans hashtag trending around the world, but he didn’t mention original member Zayne.
He wrote: ‘@NiallOfficial @Louis_Tomlinson @Harry_Styles can you believe this after so long? Thank you very much, you are amazing’
Shortly after, Zayn made it clear that he was not friends with anyone in the band during an interview with GQ.
He said: ‘I didn’t really make any friends with the band. I just didn’t. It’s not something I’m afraid to say. I definitely have trouble trusting people.’
In another interview with Vogue, Zayn confirmed: “I haven’t spoken to any of them in a long time, to be honest with you.
‘That’s the way it is. There are things that happen and things that were said after I left. sarcastic stuff. Little things I would never have expected.
November 2019
Four years after Zayn left the group, Liam picked up on his departure, revealing that Zayn didn’t even say goodbye when he left the band.
The singer told GQ magazine: “I think with Zayn’s particular departure and the way he chose to go, we haven’t really heard from him since he left.”
He didn’t even say goodbye, to be honest. It was a really sordid scene, certainly on our side. Bit strange. It’s hard.’ Brutal!
June 2022
Liam Payne called up his former bandmate Zayn Malik in an interview last year and said: ‘There are so many reasons why I don’t like him.
Speaking in a video with YouTuber Logan Paul, Liam went on to share sympathy for Zayn, saying: “If I had to go through what he went through growing up and whatever… my parents are so supportive to the point in that it’s annoying sometimes, and Zayn had a different upbringing in that regard.
“You can always look at the guy to see where he is and say ‘oh yeah whatever, that guy is a ***’, but at the end of the day, once you understand what he’s been through to get to the point, and whether or not he really wanted to be there…’
‘Listen, I don’t agree with any of his actions. I can’t praise some of the things he’s done. I can’t side with her because of that. But what I can say is that I get it, and you just hope that at some point in his life, the person on the other end of the phone wants to get the help that you’re willing to give.’
Zayn won his first solo AMA and as Niall watched from the audience, Zayne asked in his acceptance speech, ‘This one only has my name on it, right?’
Band: Zayn has now opened up about the ‘selfish’ reason he decided to leave One Direction during a new candid interview (pictured in 2012)
Awkward: Liam tweeted to Niall, Louis and Harry when he saw the #OneDirectionBestFans hashtag trending around the world, but failed to mention original member Zayne
July 2023
Zayn has now opened up about the ‘selfish’ reason he decided to leave One Direction during a new candid interview.
He also admitted that the group got “tired of each other” after being together every day for five years, having first formed on X Factor in 2010.
Speaking with host Alex Cooper during an appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Zayn opened up about the moment he knew it was time to go and detailed his desire to pursue a solo career.
He said, ‘I don’t want to go into too much detail, but for a minute I knew there was a lot of politics, certain people didn’t want to sign contracts and I knew something was going on, so I was like, ‘I’m going to go ahead to the curb and get out of here. I think this is done.
He continued: ‘I completely selfishly wanted to be the first person to go and make my own record. I rushed and when it comes to my music I am serious and competitive and I wanted to be the first to do it.
“I’m a passive guy, but when it comes to my music and my business, I take it seriously and I’m competitive, so I wanted to be the first to go and do my thing.” That was the reason.
“Obviously there were underlying issues within our friendships as well, we got sick of each other if I’m being completely honest.”
“We had been together almost every day for five years. We were close and got to do crazy things together that no one else in the world will ever understand. I look back now in a much more loving light than when I first left. It just ran its course.
Speaking of seeking guidance from her mother on leaving the band, she added: “I wasn’t afraid of what the world would think, the first thing I wanted to do was call my mother and say ‘can I come home?’ As soon as she said yes, I was like, “Okay, I’m done.”
‘I hadn’t told my mom beforehand that I hadn’t really thought about it. I just called her like “do you have a bed for me?” but my dad said “don’t stay with Simon”. I wasn’t there long until I came back to London for work.
The Pillowtalk hitmaker went on to open up about his life in the highly successful boy band, with Zayn only 17 when he auditioned for X Factor.
Hard: Zayn went on to explain how record bosses gave each band member different personalities, which made him feel like he couldn’t be himself.
He said: ‘It was weird when we were at the live shows, you could see that people were interested and it was a bit crazy.
“I guess I didn’t get it at all, it was just fun, but repetitive fun comes at a certain cost and it feels overwhelming. It was funny and amazing and of course I would never understand it, but it was fun. I was 17
‘It took me a long time to process now that I’m older. I don’t rule it out, I just don’t think about it too much. We were thrown to the bottom, there was no time for anxiety. I definitely came out at the right time. If I had done it for longer, it might have affected me more.
Zayn went on to explain how record bosses gave each band member different personalities, which left him feeling like he couldn’t be himself.
He shared: ‘They used to make me the serious one, the mysterious one, that wasn’t really my type of personality, I’m just quiet, it was just a marketing scheme.
I get it, but I don’t think you can define it in person as we were a little more complex than that. I think he just had a face to show and that was it and the fans accepted it.’
