Important: Zayn Apparently Regrets His Not-Like-The-Other-Boys Attitude In 1D

Zayn girls are freaking the fuck out this week, so excuse us. The king is releasing his fourth solo album, Room Under The Stairs, in a few days, and he’s been spilling all kinds of One Direction tea during his press tour. Keeping! Us! Fed! Nine years after Zayn broke the universe and my soul by leaving his boys behind, we’re getting more and more clarity about his time in the band and why he left. While chatting with Zach Sang recently, Zayn got real about his negative attitude during the 1D days.

Although I see pessimism as a respectable quality, the pop legend doesn’t anymore, it seems. In his father era, he’s learning to embrace a more positive outlook. Sad. Ahead of the new album, let’s all torture ourselves and walk down Zayn-Leaving-1D Memory Lane. If you need to do a brief meditation first, I understand. Please go for it. Here’s the reason why Zayn ultimately left the band and everything he told Zach about his regrets during that wild time.

Why Did Zayn Leave One Direction?

Zayn last performed with the boys in Hong Kong on March 18, 2015. And then… well, we all remember where we were the day of that fateful Facebook announcement. “After five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band,” he wrote at the time. And it wasn’t. At least it wasn’t a good time for me ’cause I still very much wanted him in the band. The singer emphasized that he was leaving because he wanted to be a “normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight.” Devastatingly, this was valid.

However, there’s more to the Zayn quitting story. He was actually having doubts about the future of the band and his friendships with the guys. During his Call Her Daddy interview, Zayn dished: “I was like, ‘I’m just going to get out of here, I think this is done.'” Lol. He added, “I completely selfishly wanted to be the first person to go and make my own record. There was obviously underlying issues within our friendships, too. We’d got sick of each other if I’m being completely honest.” We love a little candor. I would’ve been sick of Liam too.

What Did Zayn Say About One Direction During His Zach Sang Interview?

Apparently, he wishes he enjoyed his time in the band more and regrets being “moody” back then. I’m dead. “I feel like I just took things too seriously,” Zayn told Zach Sang on the show, adding, “I’m grateful that I’m able to be happier now and actually enjoy things and own my own perspective a bit. Like, glass half full… that’s my choice.” Okay, Radical Optimism!

Zayn continued, “I had this teen angst thing going on, chip on my shoulder, where I’m like, ‘It’s really cool to just be moody as fuck all the time.’ It’s not, like, you’re just a loser. Let’s be honest! Like, you should be a nice person.” Wait, but I’m in my twenties and that’s still my approach? I haven’t seen the glass half full a day in my life, but go off, king. He also shared that his daughter, Khai, brought “that color” back into his life. Awww. Yup, still don’t want a kid.