Zayn Malik Talks One Direction During First Interview In 6 Years

Zayn Malik is getting ready to step back into the spotlight after a long time away. After announcing the release of his new single "Love Like This," the singer gave his first interview in six years. During a recent podcast appearance, Zayn opened up about his time with One Direction and his decision to leave the group back in 2015.

"Look I don’t want to go into too much detail, but there was a lot of politics going on, certain people were doing certain things, certain people didn’t want to sign contracts, so I knew something was happening," Zayn said per Rolling Stone. "There was obviously underlying issues, like within our friendships, too. We’ve been together every day for five years, and we got sick of each other if I’m being completely honest. So we were close.” Despite the old tension, Zayn did add that he's able to look back at his days with Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson in a “much fonder light.”

As for hitting the stage again as a solo artist, Zayn admitted that he's a bit nervous. "I’m still nervous now cause it’s been a few years [since] I’ve been on stage, but I have this energy too. I feel like I have something to give and I want to get on stage and be there again and feel that,” he shared. “That’s one thing I can say, my fan base has always been supportive in that manner.”

"Love Like This" drops on Friday, July 21st!