Zayn Malik has opened up on the ‘selfish’ reason he decided to quit One Direction during a candid new interview.

The singer, 30, left One Direction fans devastated back in 2015 when he sensationally announced he was leaving the boyband in a bid to be a ‘normal’ then 22-year-old.

And in his first interview in six years, Zayn delved further into his time spent with bandmates Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, admitting that there was ‘underlying issues’ in their friendship.

He also admitted that the group grew ‘sick of each other’ after being together daily for five years, having first formed on X Factor in 2010.

Speaking to host Alex Cooper during an appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Zayn opened up on the moment he knew it was time to leave and detailed his desire to launch a solo career.

Opening up: Zayn Malik has opened up on the ‘selfish’ reason he decided to quit One Direction during a candid new interview

All over: The singer, 30, left One Direction fans devastated back in 2015 when he sensationally announced he was leaving the boyband in a bid to be a ‘normal’ then 22-year-old

He said: ‘I don’t want to go into too much detail, but I knew for a minute there was a lot of politics, certain people didn’t want to sign contracts and I new something was happening so I was like I’ll just get ahead of the curb and get out of here, I think this is done.’

He went on: ‘I completely selfishly wanted to be the first person to go and make my own record. I jumped the gun and when it comes to my music I’m serious and competitive and I wanted to be the first to do that.

‘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. That was the reason.

‘There was obviously underlying issues within our friendships too, we’d got sick of each other if I’m being completely honest.

‘We had been together nearly every day for five years. We were close and got to do crazy things together which no one else in the world will ever understand. I look back now in a much fonder light than when I first left. It just ran its course.’

Opening up on seeking guidance from his mother about leaving the band, he added: ‘I wasn’t afraid of what the world thought, first thing I wanted to do was ring my mum and be like “can I come home?” As soon as she said yeah I was like “Ok I’m done.”

‘I hadn’t told my mum before hand I hadn’t really thought about it. I just rang her like “do you have a bed for me?” but my dad was like “no stay with Simon”. I wasn’t there long until I went back to London for work.’

In a statement when Zayn quit the band, he said: ‘I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight.”‘

The way there were: In his first interview in six years, Zayn delved further into his time spent with bandmates Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson (L-R in 2010), admitting that there was ‘underlying issues’ in their friendship

Open: Speaking to host Alex Cooper during an appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast , Zayn opened up on the moment he knew it was time to leave and detailed his desire to launch a solo career

Out: ‘I completely selfishly wanted to be the first person to go and make my own record. I jumped the gun and when it comes to my music I’m serious and competitive and I wanted to be the first to do that’

The Pillowtalk hitmaker went on to speak about his life in the hugely successful boyband, with Zayn only 17-years-old when he auditioned for the X Factor.

He said: ‘It was strange when we were on the live shows you could see people were interested and it was a bit crazy.

‘I don’t think I comprehended it at all, it was just fun, but repetitive fun takes a certain toll and it feels over bearing. It was fun and amazing and of course I’d never understand it but it was fun. I was 17.

‘It’s taken me so much time to process it now I’m older. I don’t black it out I just don’t over think it. We got thrown into the deep end there was no time for anxiety. I definitely got out at the right time. If I’d done it any longer it might have affected me more.’

Zayn went on to explain how record bosses gave different personas to each member of the band, which left him feeling like he couldn’t be his authentic self.

The truth: ‘There was obviously underlying issues within our friendships too, we’d got sick of each other if I’m being completely honest’

Young ones: The Pillowtalk hitmaker went on to speak about his life in the hugely successful boyband, with Zayn only 17-years-old when he auditioned for the X Factor (pictured on the show in 2010)

Difficult: Zayn went on to explain how record bosses gave different personas to each member of the band, which left him feeling like he couldn’t be his authentic self

He shared: ‘ They use to make out I was the serious one, the mysterious one, that wasn’t really my personality type, I’m just chill, it was just a marketing scheme.

‘I get it but I don’t think you can define on person as that we were a bit more complex than that. I think I just had one face to pull and that was it and fans go with it.’

Elsewhere on the podcast, Zayn broke his silence on his confrontation with Yolanda Hadid, which saw him charged with four counts of harassment.

The former One Direction star pleaded no contest to the charges after allegedly pushing his former partner Gigi Hadid‘s mother into a dresser and calling her a ‘f*****g Dutch sl*t’ in September 2021.

Court documents revealed that he had to complete 360 days probation in addition to completing an anger management class.

During his chat, Zayn said he believes he dealt with the situation ‘in the best way’ and described the incident as ‘family issues’.

Controversy: Elsewhere on the podcast, Zayn broke his silence on his confrontation with Yolanda Hadid (pictured), which saw him charged with four counts of harassment

Former couple: Zayn said he believes he dealt with the situation ‘in the best way’ and described the incident as ‘family issues’ (pictured with Gigi Hadid in March 2017)

The singer said: ‘I don’t get involved when people talk online. My most valuable thing for me is time and I don’t want to be justifying myself.

‘I knew what the situation was and I knew what happened and the people involved know what happened and that’s all that matters.

‘I didn’t want to bring attention and I didn’t want to get a negative back and fourth with her [or] any sort of narrative for my daughter to eventually read it.

‘I believe I dealt with it in the best way and that’s all that needs to be said. It was a lot of negativity.

‘They’re family issues I’d rather keep that in the family. I’m very hands on with my child, if I could have 60% I would take it.’