In 2015, singer-songwriter Zayn Malik left ‘One Direction’, the band he began his musical career with. One Direction is one of the most popular pop boy bands of all time formed by musicians Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik in 2010. The band rose to prominence after they appeared on a music reality show ‘X Factor’ in the same year.

Also Read: From a solo act to No 1 best-sellers: Harry Styles and One Direction’s rise to fame

The ‘Flames’ singer, who is dating model Gigi Hadid, announced on March 25, 2015, that he would be leaving the band. His sudden departure from the band made global headlines with fans wondering what exactly happened?

Here is why Zayn Malik left ‘One Direction

According to a One Direction statement, Zayn exited the band due to mental health concerns. He was dealing with anxiety, exhaustion, and introversion issues at the time and continuous musical tours and performances were taking a toll on his mental well-being.

“After five incredible years, Zayn Malik has decided to leave One Direction. Niall, Harry, Liam, and Louis will continue as a four-piece and look forward to the forthcoming concerts of their world tour and recording their fifth album, due to be released later this year,” the statement read.

After his exit, Zayn featured on The Fader’s digital cover. During the cover interview, Malik spilled details about his time in the band and why he chose to depart from his boyband roots.

In the interview, he also said that there was never any room for him to be creative or experiment with his music. He described the band’s pop tunes as ‘generic’ and hence he was not convinced of what they were selling