Harry Styles and his fellow One Direction bandmates may still be dealing with the aftermath of former member Zayn Malik’s departure earlier this year, but according to Styles, not much has changed within the group despite losing Malik to a solo career in March.
During a new interview with Coup De Main Magazine , Harry Styles and Niall Horan reflect on the challenges of making their fifth studio album, Made in the A.M. , without Zayn Malik before appearing to throw a little shade at their former bandmate.
https://instagram.com/p/78MGDTSmkd/?taken-by=onedirection
When asked how things were different while making Made in the A.M. without Zayn, Harry Styles admits that although the process of making the album was different because they were without Malik as their fifth member, nothing else was really affected.
“I think it was obviously different, the process, because there was one less of us. But at the same time it didn’t change…in terms of the writing of the album. It didn’t change that much.”
Harry Styles further explains that One Direction’s overall goal and focus to make “the best record that we can” didn’t alter with the news of Zayn Malik’s decision to depart from One Direction for a solo career.
Styles and Niall Horan go on to explain that while the album sounds a bit different because they now lack Malik’s voice, One Direction has “grown stronger” because the group now has the common goal of making great music for their fans.
While Zayn Malik’s abrupt departure certainly caused difficulties for One Direction in terms of having to alter the production and setup of their new album, it appears the remaining members of One Direction have only benefited from the adversity.
Similar to Harry Styles’ comments about One Direction’s remaining group members sharing the same goal of wanting to make music that they’re proud of, Liam Payne recently opened up about why Zayn Malik ultimately decided to leave One Direction indefinitely.
In an interview with Good Morning Britain earlier this week, via E! Online, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson also reflect on how Zayn Malik’s departure has benefited the group for the long term.
Payne admits that while Zayn left One Direction because the group’s music was “never really Zayn’s kind of bag,” Malik’s absence has ultimately been a blessing in disguise for the band.
— zayn (@zaynmalik) July 29, 2015
Payne further explains that everyone has “come out fine” from Zayn’s departure, before taking the time to thank One Direction’s loyal fans for their continued support.
While Harry Styles and Liam Payne feel that One Direction has benefited from Zayn Malik’s absence, the group maintains that there are no hard feelings between themselves and their former bandmate.
Just two months after Zayn Malik left One Direction to reportedly spend more time with then-fiancée Perrie Edwards, Liam Payne told reporters that One Direction is “cool” with Malik’s desire to spend more time with his family.
While One Direction continues to gear up for the release of their fifth studio album, Made In the A.M. , Zayn has yet to officially release new solo music after signing with RCA Records in July.
Harry Styles and One Direction also made headlines earlier this week for the release of their newest single, “Perfect,” which is widely believed to be written about Harry Styles’ former relationship with Taylor Swift.
While Harry Styles neglected to name Swift as the direct inspiration for the track, Styles did admit that the group often used their own life experiences to help pen some of the tracks off of their fifth album.
What do you think of Harry Styles’ comments about One Direction not changing despite losing Zayn Malik?
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