Zayn Malik breaks silence after split with One Direction

Former One Direction member Zayn Malik has broken his silence after declaring on Wednesday that he was quitting the popular British group.

An article on PerezHilton.com on Friday said Malik told British paper The Sun that his decision to leave the band was “crazy and wild and a bit mad.”

Zayn Malik AP FILE PHOTO

“But at the same time, I’ve never felt more in control in my life. And I feel like I’m doing what’s right—right by myself and right by the boys—so I feel good,” Malik was quoted in the article as saying.

He said he struggled with his decision because he knew the impact it would have on their fans.

“I did try to do something that I wasn’t happy doing for a while, for the sake of maybe other people’s happiness. And that was mainly the fans,” he said. “I only ever tried to do it for the fans, and it was only ever for them.”

“I’m only upset [because] I feel like I may have let them down in some sort of way.”

Malik said his former bandmates—Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Niall Horan—were supportive of his decision.

“They’ve been cool about it,” Malik reportedly said in the interview as quoted by People.com. “And they understand that, you know, it’s not real to me anymore.”

According to the same report, Malik was spotted heading to a recording studio on Thursday and had told The Sun he had been working on his own music. Melizza Jane Tacang/RC