On Mrach 25, 20215 Zayn broke millions of young hearts by announcing his departure from the band. Since, the singer has maintained an on and off relationship with the paparazzi and spotlight. “The main thing that I always feel bad about when I look back over my life is not enjoying the band enough,” the Dusk Till Dawn singer spoke his heart out on the Zach Sang show recently.

Adding that he is grateful for being happier now, Zayn expressed regret for taking things too serious in the past. Addressing his time in One Direction the band consisting of Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, he added, “I feel like I just took things too seriously, you know? I’m grateful that I’m able to be happier now. I can actually enjoy things and own my own perspective a bit, you know? Like, glass half full versus it being half empty. That’s my choice.”

After Zayn left the band, the remaining members attempted to revive the group, but their impact eventually waned, leaving disappointed fandom ‘directioners’ who had hoped for reconciliation that never happened. A year later, the band went on an indefinite hiatus. Zayn was only 22 years old when he left the group, having joined as a teenager during the U.K.’s X-Factor. The Pillow Talk singer said his younger self, “didn’t understand the importance of just trying to be happy.”

“I had this, like, teen angst thing going on — chip on my shoulder,” he continued. “I’m like, ‘It’s really cool to be moody as fuck all the time….’ It’s not. Like, you’re just a loser. Let’s be honest, you know what I mean?” Zayn said he learned a lot of things from past experiences and the importance of being someone people want to be around.

Zayn Malik opens up about Gigi Hadid

The father of one also provided insight into his personal life involving his ex-partner Gigi Hadid and their daughter, Khai. The British singer and songwriter credits his personal growth and maturity to becoming a father to Khai, whom he shares with the supermodel. “She just makes me happier,” he smiled. “I have so much love in me that I didn’t have before she was born. She laughs all day. She wants to do the silliest things, and she gains so much excitement from it, you know? She just has a whole fresh perspective on life, [which] had somewhat become gray for me.”

Gigi Hadid is reportedly dating Bradley Cooper, although the two have not made their relationship official yet. They can often be seen hanging out with friends at posh Hollywood restaurants. They were first linked in October 2023. Meanwhile, Gigi and Zayn broke up back in 2021.