Zayn Malik reveals why he left One Direction six years ago
Zayn Malik (Instagram)
Former One Direction member Zayn Malik has opened up about why he left the popular boy band six years ago. In 2015, Zayn was the first member to leave the group, saying he wanted to experience a normal 22-year-old life away from the camera and fame. Although he left the group, One Direction continued to create music, performing in concerts before going on hiatus in 2016 to pursue their solo careers. On the podcast entitled "[Call Her Daddy](https://open.spotify.com/show/7bnjJ7Va1nM07Um4Od55dW?si=62530f08a8664a21)" hosted by Alex Cooper, Zayn shared that before deciding to leave the group, he noticed that they've been having problems personally.  "We'd been together every day for five years, and we'd got sick of each other if we're being completely honest," Zayn said. "I look back on it now in a much fonder light than I would've as I'd just left." He further explained that throughout the five years of being in a group, they had their good times and experiences, which eventually ended.  "There were great experiences, I had great times with them, but we'd just run our course," he added. Zayn also mentioned that he began to notice signs that it was time to leave and that the other members would follow. The "Pillowtalk" singer stated that he aspired to be the first to release solo music after departing from the group. "I don't want to go into too much detail, but there was a lot of politics going on. People were doing certain things. Some people didn't want to sign contracts, so I knew something was happening," he said. One Direction was formed on the singing competition "The X Factor UK." Zayn, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Liam Payne are known for their songs "What Makes You Beautiful," "Night Changes," "One Thing," and many more. Zayn will release his new single "Love Like These" on July 21.Â