Zayn Malik Regrets Not ‘Enjoying’ His Time With One Direction

Zayn Malik rose to fame by being a part of the boy band One Direction. The singer-songwriter decided to part ways with the band on March 25, 2015. In a new interview, Malik looked back at his time with the band and shared what he regrets from the experience. 

Zayn Malik says he did not enjoy his time in the band enough 

In a recent appearance on Zach Sang's show, Zayn Malik said, “The main thing that I always feel bad about when I look back over my life is not enjoying the band enough.” The Night Changes hitmaker admitted that he took things ‘too seriously’ and lost sight of having fun. He asserted that he is much ‘happier’ now. 

He continued, “I feel like I just took things too seriously, you know? I'm grateful that I'm able to be happier now. I can enjoy things and own my perspective a bit, you know? Like, a glass half full versus it being half empty. That's my choice.” A year after Zayn’s exit from One Direction, the band consisting of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson, announced an extended break.

Zayn Malik details how his life has changed after the birth of his daughter 

Zayn Malik and his ex-Gigi Hadid welcomed their first daughter Khai in September 2020. Talking about how her birth has changed him, the singer said, “She just makes me happier.” He told Hollywood Reporter, “I have so much love in me that I didn't have before she was born. She laughs all day. She wants to do the silliest things, and she gains so much excitement from it, you know? She just has a wholly fresh perspective on life, [which] had somewhat become grey for me” 

The singer also recalled how he was full of negativity during his teen years. He said, “I had this, like, teen angst thing going on -- chip on my shoulder," he added. "I'm like, 'It's cool to be moody as *** all the time....' It's not. Like, you're just a loser. Let's be honest, you know what I mean?” He added, “You should be a nice person. You should be somebody that people want to be around and enjoy being in your presence, and you should bring light to peoples' day instead of being this ****.” The English-Irish pop boy band One Direction was formed in London in 2010 and parted ways in 2015.