Zayn Malik has opened up about his life growing up in Bradford and meteoric rise to fame on Call Her Daddy.
Alex Cooper’s popular podcast offers fans a glimpse into their favourite celebrities’ lives outside of the spotlight.
The former One Direction star’s Call Her Daddy interview marks his first interview in six years.
Zayn is now living in Pennsylvania with his three dogs - Zion, Zeus and ‘Fumper’ and three cats - Salem, Dobby and Veto.
The animal lover also has three turtles and six chickens.
The scenic location was part of Zayn’s dream to give his daughter with model Gigi Hadid, Khai, a normal childhood.
“A lot of people think it’s super random I live out here,” he told Call My Daddy’s Alex.
“I ended up coming with my ex a bit and fell in love, it was super calm and chill. I just wanted to take a break from the busy city. I was living in New York for three years at the time and it got a bit overwhelming going out of your door to craziness all the time. I wanted a bit more of a surrounding I’m used to, I grew up in Bradford where it’s a lot more this kind of pace and vibe. I feel I fit in more around here than I do in the trendy spots.”
Zayn’s passions include time with his daughter, recording in the studio, painting, and cooking lamb and grilled vegetables on his smoker BBQ.
Growing up in East Bowling
Looking back at his childhood, he said: “Bradford’s not like Pennsylvania in terms of the wealth and way it’s looked after and taken care of. It’s an impoverished community, there’s people below working class that have a hard environment they’re growing up in. Everyone’s kind of got some issues going on at home or there’s something on the street. Everywhere you go there’s a lot of confliction.
“It was very different to here in that sense. But I’m very grateful because it [Bradford] shaped and moulded a lot of identity for me. Early on I was questioned, interrogated about my identity because of my environment, it’s just the way it is. You have to have a good understanding of who you are. It helped cement my own identity in myself.
“Even your fashion, the way you want to cut your hair, something was questioned if you weren’t doing the norm. You had to have a bit about you, have a bit of wits about you, you know street smarts.
“There’s a mix of everything - there’s the peer pressure in schools but then it’s on the street, if you go out there and you’re just trying to have a good time it’s not as friendly fun. It’s a bit more irate. There’s a bit of aggression going on.”
First experiences with music
Zayn grew up in a rented terraced house with his parents and three sisters.
He said: “It was a small house. But the streets are like, every house is stuck next to it. You have a garden that’s enough for a dog to sit in.”
Describing his personality as a child, he said: “I was a bit of a cheeky chappy, mischievous, used to get into all kinds of childish stuff - like climbing in places I shouldn’t have been, falling out of trees, and smashing windows - with a football.
“There was always an opportunity to go and do something that would have got you in serious trouble [in Bradford].
“I was always really lucky in the sense my mother and father were super protective of that environment. My dad was aware of the things that were out there and explained stuff to me from a young age and kind of kept me away from that.
“That’s where I developed into being a person that likes to be by myself, singing, recording, writing, I got into poetry, because I was in my room a lot.
“I was always a bit more of a reserved kind of guy, artistic. My parents did a good job of keeping me away from it.”
Zayn says he first discovered he could sing around the age of 11 or 12. He previously joined the school choir after developing a crush for three girls who were triplets aged eight.
He went to a performing arts school, where he auditioned for a production of Grease.
“Everyone was like woah you can sing,” he said.
“My music teacher recommended I get a couple of singing lessons and then she said I think you should go on X Factor, I think you’ve got a good chance.”
X Factor
Zayn revealed his mum forced him out of bed on the morning of his X Factor audition. He sang Mario’s Let Me Love You on the big day.
“It was just nerves,” he said.
“I built it up in my head and was like, this is a massive thing. My mum was like you’re going to see what happens. I owe it to her for that.
“I had no clue. They told us we had to have a backing track like a karaoke version and I was so inexperienced I didn’t know what that was. It was so weird to adjust to singing on a backing track.”
One Direction
When Zayn became part of One Direction, his life took on a crazy direction at 17 years old.
The band’s fan base and fame grew overnight.
“It’s took time for me to process them things,” he said.
“I’ve had to process it with an older mind and look at it backwards.
“Emotion just seems to blur things. I try not to think about them things on that kind of level like I’m super famous. I just love music, I love singing, and people seem to have an interest in it.
“I don’t black it out but I just don’t overthink. It works for me that way.
“In 10 years time you can look back and think that’s what happened.
“I remember coming out of a studio once in Sweden when we were recording What Makes You Beautiful and this is before we even dropped our first single. There was a row of five, six bins outside the studio and every single one of the trash cans opens and there’s three people inside of each trash can and they tried to grab me. I think I had a mini heart attack. That’s dedication though, right?”
Why Zayn split from One Direction
Zayn said the band did the right amount of time before deciding to split.
Giving further detail on the One Direction split, Zayn said: "I just seen it [coming] and I completely selfishly wanted to be the first person to go and make my own record. If I'm being completely honest with you, I was like, 'I'm going to jump the gun here'.
"I'm a passive dude, but when it comes to my music and my business, I'm serious about it and I'm competitive, so I wanted to be the first to go and do my own thing. That was the reason.
"There was obviously underlying issues within our friendships, too. We'd got sick of each other if I'm being completely honest," he added.
“We were close. We’d done crazy things with each other that nobody else would ever understand.
“There were great experiences but we’d just run our course.”
When Zayn decided to leave One Direction, he phoned his mum to ask if she still had a bed for him at the family home.
He returned to his home city for a short time before starting the next chapter of his life in London.
Describing how it felt to be in his family home again, he said: “I was just trying to get stuff together, I wanted to get a plan of action, I was on a bit of a mission.”
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