Sources suggest that British singer Zayn Malik is prepared to offer an olive branch, seeking 'forgiveness and friendship' from his former One Direction bandmates.
Malik, aged 31, shocked fans when he abruptly left the pop group in March 2015, citing 'stress' as the reason for his departure.
Less than twelve months later, his ex-bandmates Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson went their separate ways, announcing that the group would be taking an indefinite break.
“He doesn't know if it will ever happen, or when, but he would love to start a conversation with the other guys from One Direction and try to make amends with all of them,” a source told Daily Mail.
“He is trying to figure out the best way to reach out because it will be odd, weird, and uncomfortable, but it is something that has been on his mind.”
The source emphasized that the decision is solely focused on repairing relationships, rather than reuniting the band for performances.
“Zayn wants to approach them for forgiveness and friendship. Working with them is not important to him right now.”
The source continued, “he has matured and wants to show the rest of the guys this. To be friends again would be amazing.”
Malik, who was 17 when the group was formed, has openly discussed his distance from his former bandmates in the years since he left the group.
In a recent interview, he talked about feeling resentful during his tenure in One Direction. He stated that their maturity levels at the time, coupled with their individual desires for solo careers, created a sense of "competition" among them.
“Now, when I look back at it, I can look at it in a positive light and be like, all these guys came from similar backgrounds to me,” he said during his appearance at The Zach Sang Show.
“They had nothing, they worked their [butts] off, they wanted to sing, they got the throne in a band.”
“And you know, we resented each other to a certain degree because we were solo artists that were put in a band, and we should have never felt that way.”
“It should have never been a competition. It should have always been a camaraderie, and we should have always been there for each other and had each other's backs.”
Created in 2010 by Simon Cowell on the UK X Factor, One Direction became one of the highest-selling boy bands ever. They sold over 70 million records worldwide and were the first band in US Billboard 200 history to have their first four albums debut at number one.
Malik, who shares a three-year-old daughter named Khai with model Gigi Hadid, started his solo career with his debut single "Pillowtalk" in January 2016.
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