Everything the One Direction Alums Have Said About Leaving the Band: ‘I Never Really Wanted to Be There’

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Everything the One Direction Alums Have Said About Leaving the Band: 'I Never Really Wanted to Be There'

Musical superstars. Pop boy band One Direction became one of the biggest groups of the 2010s after its five members — Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik — met as contestants on the reality television series The X factor in 2010. The five singers became a group at judge Simon Cowell’s behest and the record executive signed One Direction to his label Syco Records in 2010. The group went on to release five studio albums together, becoming the first band in history to have their first four records debut at number one on Billboard 200. Propelled by an ardently supportive fan base, One Direction’s 2014 tour was the highest-grossing concert of the year. In addition to commercial success, the pop sensations also received critical acclaim including six Billboard Music Awards and seven American Music Awards. In 2014, Harry Styles compared the group’s popularity to that of The Beatles during an interview with Top of the Pops Magazine. "We all sat and watched the film of The Beatles arriving in America. And, to be honest, that really was like us,” he said. "Stepping off the plane, the girls, the madness. It was exactly the same as when we got there - just 50 years earlier." [jwplayer 00QeFU35-zhNYySv2] In March 2015, the band announced that Malik was leaving the group. “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 shared via Facebook read. In August of that year, the four remaining members of the band announced that they would be taking an extended hiatus beginning in 2016. Before taking a step back, the group went on a final tour and released one last album, “Made in the A.M.” One Direction’s last live performance as a band was at Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve on December 31, 2015. After the band dissolved, its members went on to pursue solo careers. Styles won three Grammy Awards in 2021 for his second solo album, “Fine Line,” while Malik released three solo albums and collaborated with Taylor Swift on the 2016 duet “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever.” Horan, for his part, released “Heartbreak Weather,” which debuted at number one in the United Kingdom in 2020. In the years since One Direction disbanded, Malik has spoken publicly about not enjoying his time in the group. In a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone, the “PILLOWTALK” singer said of his former group’s discography, “That's not music I would listen to ... Would you listen to One Direction at a party with your girl? I wouldn't. To me, that's not an insult, that's me as a 22-year-old man.” From when they disbanded to whether a reunion is possible, scroll through for everything the former members have said about leaving One Direction:

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Malik Officially Quit the Band in 2015

One Direction released a statement in March 2015 announcing that Malik was leaving the band.

The post included a statement in the “Vibez” singer’s own words, which read, “My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined. But, after five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band. I’d like to apologize to the fans if I’ve let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart. I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight. I know I have four friends for life in Louis, Liam, Harry and Niall. I know they will continue to be the best band in the world.”

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Malik Called One Direction's Music 'Generic as F--k'

The same year the "Dusk Till Dawn" singer left One Direction, he threw shade at the group’s music in an interview with Fader, calling it “generic as f—k.”

Malik went on to describe creative differences he had with the band. “Whenever I would suggest something, it was like it didn't fit us. There was just a general conception that the management already had of what they want for the band and I just wasn't convinced with what we were selling,” he told the outlet at the time.

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Malik Said He Never Wanted to Be in 1D in the First Place

In a 2016 interview with radio station Beats 1, the English singer claimed he wanted out of One Direction for a long time. "I think I always wanted to go from like the first year, really," he said. "I never really wanted to be there, like in the band."

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Styles Revealed Why the Band Took a Hiatus

The “As It Was” singer gave some insight into why One Direction went on hiatus during a 2017 interview with Rolling Stone. Styles told the outlet that he and his band mates “didn't want to exhaust [their] fan base,” adding, “We all thought too much of the group to let that happen.”

The Grammy Award winner also didn’t rule out the possibility of a reunion, saying, “I love the band and would never rule out anything in the future. The band changed my life, gave me everything.”

Styles also responded to comments Malik had made about not enjoying the group’s music.

"I think it's a shame he felt that way ... but I never wish anything but luck to anyone doing what they love. If you're not enjoying something and need to do something else, you absolutely should do that. I'm glad he's doing what he likes, and good luck to him,” the songwriter said. 

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Styles Commented on Malik's Exit

In 2019, the "Watermelon Sugar" singer talked about how Malik’s departure from the band affected him and his band mates during an appearance on Apple Music’s “New Music Daily With Zane Lowe.”

"We were sad, obviously, that someone had left, but also sad that he was not enjoying it so much that he had to leave," Styles said. "Because I think at the time, too, the tour and everything was going so well and everyone had kind of got to this place where everyone was kind of living in a way where they, I think, felt pretty good. It felt like everyone was kind of enjoying it.”

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Tomlinson Declared His Love for the Band

Unlike Malik, Tomlinson has nothing but good things to say about his time in One Direction.

During a 2020 Rolling Stone interview, the musician said “I absolutely f---ing love the band. I'm super proud about where I've come from. At the end of the day, I'm from Doncaster, and the band gave me such a nice opportunity.”

He added that he thinks it’s a “desperate attempt to try and get cool points” when people trash talk their former bands.

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Horan Revealed What He Misses About His Bandmates

In 2020, Horan revealed to Apple Music what he misses about his 1D days. “Sometimes when you’ll be at a gig or something had happened and it would remind you of something that happened on stage years ago, like, ‘Oh, jeez. I wish the boys were here to see that,’” the Ireland native said.

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Payne Dished on His Beef With Malik

During a May 2022 appearance on the “Impaulsive” podcast with Logan Paul, Payne talked candidly about his feelings for Malik.

"There's many reasons why I dislike Zayn and there's many reasons why I'll always, always be on his side," the One Direction alum said. "My parents are overly supportive to the point where it's annoying at times. Zayn had a different upbringing in that sense.”

Payne added that he doesn’t “agree with any of [Zayn’s] actions” and “can’t commend some of the things that he’s done.” In October 2021, Malik made headlines for an alleged incident that occurred between him and his ex-girlfriend Gigi Hadid’s mother, Yolanda Hadid. The "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" singer was charged with four criminal offenses of harassment and was sentenced to 90 days of probation for each count.

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Louis Tomlinson Hopes for a Reunion

"It's easier to see now from the outside looking in, it was a crazy time but amazing to go through with other people. It would have been scary to go through it alone at that age," Tomlinson said during a September 2022 appearance on the U.K. talk show Lorraine. He added that he hoped to one day reunite with his former bandmates, although he acknowledged that it wouldn't be easy to organize. "There's a lot of moving parts but it would be a shame if we didn't [get back together]," Tomlinson said. "I hope so."

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Tomlinson and Malik Don't Have Each Other's Phone Numbers

When speaking to Zach Sang in late September 2022, Tomlinson revealed that he and the "It's You" singer no longer have each other's phone numbers.

“I think we just have to bump into each other 'cause neither of us have each other's number," the "Back to You" artist said about contacting his former bandmate if he wanted to. "I suppose maybe social media might be the way.”

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Tomlinson Stays in Touch With His ‘Brothers’

“We’re brothers. We experienced so much together. So I think it’s important we do that for each other,” the "Bigger Than Me" singer told ET Canada in November 2022, noting the fivesome keep in touch and support one another’s solo careers. “There’s so many different singles, we’d be texting each other every other week. Normally around album [releases], that’s when I normally make sure to try and text the lads and I’m sure they’ll do the same.”

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Tomlinson Was 'Gutted' by the Split

"When One Direction split up, I was mortified, I was absolutely gutted," the "Bigger Than Me" singer told the U.K. newspaper The Times in February 2023. "I was a bit bitter, I suppose because it just felt like another loss to me. But I've a better understanding of things now, and there's not as much anger. It is what it is."

Tomlinson added that he'd still "be up" for a reunion, though he doesn't think one will happen very soon. "Getting back together at some point is hard to imagine right now," he explained. "But I'd be surprised if we lived out our lives and didn't have a moment where we had a reunion, or whatever you want to call it. I'd be up for that. I do miss the boys and I do definitely miss being one of the five, but I like doing my own thing too. It was time."

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Tomlinson Was 'Shocked' by 1D's Breakup

“Even right up until we went on the break, there was still really no closure on that idea,” the "Back to You" singer revealed in his March 2023 documentary, All of Those Voices. “You didn’t really, or at least I didn’t, understand what it was going to be. I think the feeling I remember the most is a little bit of anger, because I didn’t want to go on a break. It didn’t just upset me, it shocked me. I wasn’t prepared for it. I thought for me, it was the band or nothing.”