Speaking about his former bandmate, the 'Strip That Down' hitmaker recalls the time the 'Pillowtalk' singer told the band he was forced to go to 'The X Factor U.K.' audition by his mother.
- Apr 23, 2020
AceShowbiz - Liam Payne knew Zayn Malik wouldn't stay in One Direction as his mum had to convince him to aim for pop stardom.
The band was formed by Simon Cowell and producers from five contestants on U.K. talent show "The X Factor" in 2010, going on to finish third but becoming that year's most commercially successful act.
However, Liam reveals that he always knew Zayn's heart wasn't in the band long before his departure in March 2015, as the "Pillowtalk" hitmaker told his bandmates his mum convinced him to audition against his instincts.
"I remember Zayn telling us the story that it was his mum got him to go to the audition the day he didn't want to go and that was literally what we saw all the way through One Direction," the "Strip That Down" hitmaker tells Britain's Daily Star newspaper.
Discussing his former bandmate's attitude, he says that the Pillowtalk hitmaker, who hasn't performed live since 2016 due to anxiety issues, loves making music, but hates the trappings of fame.
"Some people are made for this thing but Zayn enjoys the side of the music where he just gets to make music," Liam explains. "I don't think he enjoys what comes with it. I think he has to be very careful where he treads."
"He likes to make songs and his songs do very well but at the same time he doesn't really like to go out and perform the songs. He doesn't really like going out and doing the press stuff that surrounds it in the crazy little world that we live in."
