Zayn Malik talks fatherhood, One Direction, and more in rare interview
Zayn Malik sat down for his first interview in six years with Alex Cooper of the Call Her Daddy podcast.
Malik, 30, opened up about fatherhood, his daughter, mental health, his time in One Direction and his decision to leave the band, and his relationship with his daughter’s mother, model Gigi Hadid.
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Malik’s sit-down interview with Cooper provided a rare glimpse into the singer’s life after he’s kept a low profile over the past several years.
One of the topics he touched on was his anxiety and how it was driven by being a performer in the public eye.
“Being on stage in front of thousands of people, I think it’s a really normal place to experience anxiety. You know, you’re going to go on and perform in front of a lot of different people that you don’t know who they are and it’s not a natural thing to do, in terms of everyday life,” Malik said.
“Anxiety for me, I’ve learned is a feeling that now has a word. And I feel like for generations, human beings have felt it and not really been able to put their finger on what it is.”
He noted that the reason he wanted to sit down for the podcast was to show his two-year-old daughter, Khai, how he has worked to overcome his anxiety.
“I feel like I’ve had to step up as a man or just as a person and be this example to her that doesn’t succumb to these feelings. That’s why I’m even doing this interview… I used to get a lot of anxiety around having a conversation like this, in this kind of environment, and I want her to be able to look at me and be like, ‘My dad’s doing this,’” he told Cooper.
He also spoke about his decision to leave One Direction in 2015.
“I think I’d known for a minute,” Malik said. “There was a lot of politics going on. Certain people were doing certain things, certain people didn’t want to sign contracts. I knew something was happening, so I just got ahead of the curve if I’m being honest with you.”
He noted that after being together every day for five years, he and his bandmates “got sick of each other.”
“We were close, you know, we did crazy things with each other and that nobody else in the world will ever understand or have the experiences that we’ve shared with each other. I look back on it now in a much fonder light than I would have if I just left. There were great experiences and great times, but yeah, we had just run our course.”
As for co-parenting with his ex-girlfriend, Gigi Hadid, Malik said things are going well.
“Co-parenting is good. We have a really good relationship for Khai. She’s the main importance. So yeah, it’s going well… I think,” he said.
Malik and Hadid broke up in October 2021, following reports of an altercation between Malik and Hadid’s mom, Yolanda.
Court documents obtained by TMZ allege that Malik “shoved [Yolanda] into a dresser causing mental anguish and physical pain.” The altercation took place in Malik’s Pennsylvania home while Gigi was not present.
He also allegedly yelled profanities at Yolanda.
Malik denied making any physical contact with his child’s grandmother. He was charged with four criminal offences of harassment and eventually pled no contest but was fined and ordered to serve a year of probation. He also was ordered to have no contact with Yolanda and had to complete an anger management course as well as a domestic violence program.
Malik briefly addressed the situation with Cooper and explained why he hasn’t spoken about it publicly.
“I don’t tend to get involved when people say things online, whether it’s got something to do with me or whether it doesn’t, because, for me, the most valuable thing that I have in life is time and that takes so much time in a toxic environment to like explain yourself to people and justify this.”
“So I just kind of kept to myself, I knew what the situation was, I knew what happened and the people involved knew what happened too, and that’s all I really cared about,” he said, adding that he didn’t want to “bring attention to anything” to avoid any negative “back-and-forth” with Yolanda.
Malik shares 50% custody of his daughter with Hadid. He says he tries to be as present as he can for his daughter.
“I’m super… hands-on with my child, every chance I can be,” he said.
“If I could get 60% [custody] I would,” he stated.
You can listen to the full Call Her Daddy podcast episode with Malik on Spotify.
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