Zayn Embraces a New Era Ahead of the Release of His New Album
The notoriously private "What I Am" singer opened up on his daughter, his relationship with Gigi Hadid, and his life post-1D.
While Zayn Malik grew up accustomed to living his life under the limelight, especially as One Direction exploded in popularity and his relationship with model Gigi Hadid became public, the singer never truly appeared to feel comfortable with all of the noise. After the birth of his daughter, Khai, three years ago, the 31-year-old moved to a sprawling Pennsylvania farm, where he now lives a decisively different life than he did back in the day. Whether Zayn's new lifestyle can be attributed to maturity, finding a sense of inner peace that simply didn't exist during the 1D days, or the arrival of his daughter, it's difficult to say, but one thing is for certain: these days, Zayn is embracing a new era and stepping out of his shell like never before.
In a May 9 interview on the Zach Sang Show, Zayn sat down ready to share an honest vision of his life like never before. The interview, almost an hour and a half long, touched on all the ups and downs of the singer's life, including his time as a member of the hottest boyband in the world, his on-and-off relationship with Hadid, the birth of his daughter, and his new Pennsylvania farm lifestyle.
While fans were happy to get a glimpse at the singer, many long-time supporters were eager to hear Zayn's renewed perspective on life and reflections on his 1D days, especially as few other former members often speak about it in 2024. "The main thing I always regret when I look back is not enjoying the band enough. I think I just took things too seriously. I'm grateful that I'm able to be happier now and that I can enjoy things and own my own perspective," Malik said, ruminating on his younger days. "Glass half full instead of half empty, that's my choice. I get to decide how to frame it... If I move with happiness I can gain so much more and I can have a good time and enjoy my life. I think that's one thing that I'm really grateful for now that I didn't understand the importance of when I was younger. I had this teen angst thing, chip on my shoulder, like 'It's really cool to just be moody as fuck all the time,' and it's not, you're just a loser."
Zayn beamed with pride as he discussed his daughter, who is kept out of the public eye by both of her parents. "As cliche as it sounds, I feel like my daughter brought that [peace], that color back into my life. She just makes me happier, I have so much love in me that I didn't have before she was born," he said. "She has a fresh perspective on life that had become somewhat grey for me."
The singer also shared that his young daughter is a budding musician, and has already picked up a few instruments. "She can play a little bit, she's not expert level, but she's got a bit of rhythm... you can definitely tell that she could develop that into something," he said, laughing. "Her mom was actually really good at Guitar Hero on the drums, so I was like 'Maybe she got that from her mom.'" Zayn also revealed that Khai often sings along to his songs and said that her favorite off of the new album is "Stardust," which is set to release on May 17 with the rest of his new album, Room Under the Stairs.
