Call Her Daddy teases first Zayn Malik interview in six years: ‘I used to get a lot of anxiety’

‘I feel like we were so overexposed in the band that that’s why I took the time that I have to not even necessarily do interviews,’ former One Direction star told Alex Cooper

Alex Cooper has conducted the first interview with Zayn Malik in six years for her popular podcast, Call Her Daddy.

The presenter, 28, teased the interview on social media on Tuesday (11 July) ahead of the full episode’s release on Wednesday.

“I feel like we were so overexposed in the band that that’s why I took the time that I have to not even necessarily do interviews,” the former One Direction star, 30, said in the teaser.

Malik said that his two-year-old daughter, who he shares with ex-girlfriend Gigi Hadid, spurred him on to do the interview.

“Since I’ve had my daughter, the main thing in my mind is trying to be a good example to her,” he said.

“That’s why I’m even doing this interview, you know? I used to get a lot of anxiety around having a conversation like this. And I want her to be able to look at me and be like, ‘Yo, my dad’s doing this.’”

In October 2021, one year after Khaie was born, Hadid and Malik ended their on-and-off relationship of six years. Their split came after rumours emerged of an alleged altercation between Malik and Hadid’s mother, Yolanda Hadid, on 29 September 2021.

Alex Cooper and Zayn Malik (Call Her Daddy)

Malik vehemently denied the allegations in a statement to TMZ at the time, and “declined” to give any further details about the incident “for the sake of my daughter”.

He was the first member of One Direction to quit the group, which was created by Simon Cowell on The X Factor.

Malik wrote in a 2015 statement: “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.”

Speaking about the stereotypes of performing in a boy band, the singer told Cooper: “They just said, ‘Oh yeah, you can be the mysterious one.’ That wasn’t necessarily my personality, I’m just chill.

“I know that a lot of people have high-energy personalities, and it’s just not the way I am.”

Malik found commercial success in his solo career after adapting to a more alternative R&B style. His first solo studio album, Mind of Mine (2016), and its lead single, “Pillowtalk”, made him the first British male artist to debut at number one in both the UK and US.

His new single, “Love Like This,” is slated for a July 21 release.