Zayn Malik and Harry Styles have a whole lot of history, but they haven’t stayed in close contact since the “Dusk Till Dawn” singer left One Direction in March 2015.
“To be honest, I never really spoke to Harry even when I was in the band,” Malik, 24, exclusively reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly. “So I didn’t really expect that much of a relationship with him when I left. And I haven’t [had one] to be honest.”
Still, the “Pillowtalk” crooner — who hosted Us Weekly‘s Most Stylish New Yorkers party at The Jane Hotel in New York City on Tuesday, September 12 — wouldn’t be opposed to a 1D reunion down the road. “Who knows? I’ve said it before: Never say never,” he tells Us. “If I wanted to come back in 10, 15 years time, then yeah, why not? I don’t know. If I didn’t want to [be in the band] then, I might not. It just depends on how I’m feeling at that time.”
For now, Malik is focusing on his upcoming second album and enjoying the slower pace of being a solo artist. “We were basically going at, like, 500 miles per hour. We did everything to an extreme in the band,” he reflects. “[Now] it’s not as full on, it’s not as extreme, it’s not as in-your-face. It’s at my own pace. So this way, it feels 100 times more manageable. It’s just easier. It’s a lot less work.”
The vibe of the Bradford, England, native’s as-yet-untitled sophomore album echoes the cornucopia of sounds that created his debut solo record, Mind of Mine. “There’s a lot of different kinds of music on it,” he dishes to Us of his next effort. “I don’t really like to stick to one genre and go off of that. I like to do whatever I’m feeling that day, whatever’s feeling good. There’s still a lot of soulful R&B tunes on there, there’s some club tunes on there, there’s some more obvious pop songs as well.”
Styles, 23, is another genre-bending singer. His self-titled debut album, which dropped in May, has received critical acclaim for its ’70s rock leanings, though it also extends the sounds of 1D’s latter music. In addition to singing his hits “Sign of the Times” and “Two Ghosts” during a recent BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge performance, Styles covered Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” as well as DJ Khaled and Rihanna‘s “Wild Thoughts.”
To read more of Malik’s interview, pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now!
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