Zayn Malik has revealed that he has never been in love, despite having a long-term relationship with Gigi Hadid.
During an appearance on The Zach Sang Show, the “Pillowtalk” crooner admitted to Sang that he thinks he may have never experienced true love. Despite being previously engaged to Little Mix’s Perrie Edwards and having three-year-old daughter Khai with ex-partner Hadid, he noted that he was unsure if any of his past relationships had any depth to them.
“I don’t know if I’ve actually truly been in love at this point,” he told the radio personality. He added that he’d been exploring these complicated feelings in his upcoming album, Room Under The Stairs. His October 2021 breakup with Gigi Hadid was a primary influence for several songs.
“The first song that I wrote on the record was ‘Alienated,’ and it was towards the end of my relationship,” he explained. “Like when me and my ex were breaking up.”
He continued: “So there’s the heavy narrative of the kinds of things I was going through mentally in that situation and what I was thinking and how I was feeling.”
He specifically spoke about how one song, “How It Feels,” which explored the complexity of being in love with someone but knowing that you’re not showing up for them in the way they need. He said: “I think in that song specifically I’m talking about not being able to explain to the person that you’re in love with why it is that you necessarily can’t be the best version of the partner you want to be. And that’s a really sad thing.”
Beyond teases of his highly-anticipated new album, Malik gushed about his daughter and how she’s already showing signs of musical talent. However, the former boy band member notes that her talents are likely inherited from her model mother.
“She can play a little bit,” she revealed. “She’s not like expert level, but she’s got a bit of rhythm when she’s hitting the drums. I can tell that she definitely can develop that into something.”
“Her mom was actually really good at Guitar Hero on the drums,” he added. “I was like: ‘Maybe she got that from her mom.’ Cuz I was diabolical at it, and G used to beat me all the time. I used to be like: ‘What the f***. I’m the musician, and she beats me at this game.’ But Khai‘s got that too.”
The pop star has been raising their daughter in rural Pennsylvania, far away from the limelight. In a 14 March episode of Hot Ones, the former One Direction member said that distancing himself from the hustle and bustle of the entertainment business has ultimately helped his songwriting process in the long-run.
“I think life in general can influence your writing process,” he explained to host Sean Evans. “You have to live and go through things to have something to talk about. So yeah, it’s definitely has took on the surrounding area of Pennsylvania.
“It’s got that feel, it’s got the chill, like introspective kind of conscious kind of thing going on,” he continued. “And I’m really excited for people to listen to it because it’s really different from anything I’ve ever done before, it’s super personal.”
Malik has been breaking away from his past of avoiding the media and giving interviews as he promotes his upcoming album, both a rarity and a treat for longtime fans eager to see the singer break out from his shell.