Real Reason Why Zayn Malik Left One Direction Revealed In New Interview After 6 Years

Eight years since he left One Direction, Zayn Malik has finally cleared up one of the internet's burning questions - Why did he leave One Direction?

Sitting down on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, Zayn Malik became candid in his answers, finally opening up after six years of flying under the radar and not talking to the press.

Real Reason Why Zayn Malik Left One Direction

Ever since Mar. 25, 2015, Malik shattered the hearts of many Directioners in the world when he announced that he would be leaving One Direction for good.

Now, after eight years, Malik has finally mustered up the courage to finally address the sudden move.

Apparently, one of the real reasons why Zayn Malik left One Direction was because of a selfish reason.

"I completely, selfishly wanted to be the first person to go and make my own record, if I'm being completely honest with you. 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 told the podcast.

When One Direction arrived in Manila for their highly-anticipated concert in the country, Filipino Directioners were shocked to not see Malik with the group. The concert performance in Manila was the first performance that the group had without Malik.

Elsewhere in the same interview, Malik opened up that aside from the "selfish" reason that he had when leaving the band; another reason why Zayn Malik left One Direction was because of internal politics.

"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," he recalled. "And then there was obviously underlying issues, like within our friendships too. We've been together every day for five years and we've got sick of each other for being completely honest. So we were close."

Watch the full episode below.

READ ALSO: Zayn Malik Finally Breaks Silence About One Direction: 'It's Just Not The Way I Am'

Zayn Malik New Music

Zayn Malik is gearing up to release his upcoming summer song, "Love Like This." (via Billboard) It would be released on Jul. 21, 2023.

"I guess there's faith like this/ Give you everything and you can skate like this/ But I think I gotta take that risk 'cause I can not go back/ And I'm loving what you say, what you say, what you say when you're on my line," he sang on the show's teaser promo.

READ ALSO: Zayn Malik Fatherhood: Singer Gives Fans an Insight Into Personal Life in First Interview in 6 Years