Zayn Malik Fondly Remembers One Direction Days In New Biography: ‘It’s A Part Of Me’

Following interviews in which he seemed to not have many positive thoughts regarding his boy band start, crooner Zayn Malik, formerly of One Direction, has seemingly had a change of heart.

In an excerpt from the 23-year-old’s upcoming mononymous autobiography, Zayn, that was shared by Teen Vogue, the “Pillow Talk” singer expresses how grateful he is for the experiences he had as one-fifth of the “Live While We’re Young” collective.

“I got to meet amazing fans,” he writes, “and I can never thank all of them enough for the love and support they gave me during the good times, and the bad. I can honestly say I’m proud of a lot of stuff from the One Direction days. I’m not sure people realize that, but I am.”

Although he never mentions his ex-band mates — Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and once-close friend Liam Payne — by name, he also admits that they still have a place in heart and home, by way of the many pieces of fan merchandise and awards that decorate some of the walls in his abode.

“I’ve got the memorabilia – the platinum discs we received with every album – all over my house. I have a wall dedicated to displaying them. One Direction was an incredible experience in its own right, and it’s a part of me, an integral part of my history, and I’m never going to deny that aspect of my life.”

As proof of what he reveals, Malik includes an image in Zayn of one of the walls in question, which does indeed display quite a few of the music group’s accolades and trophies.

Interestingly, Malik’s loving look back on his start is a sharp contrast to what he said just months ago during the early promo period of his first solo album, Mind of Mine. In an interview with Fader to promote the LP back in December, 2015, Zayn relayed that he was often forced to dim his soulful ways when it came to singing with One Direction.

“There was never any room for me to experiment creatively in the band,” he told the magazine for its December/January issue. “If I would sing a hook or a verse slightly R&B, or slightly myself, it would always be recorded 50 times until there was a straight version that was pop, generic as f**k, so they could use that version.”

Download #FADER101 featuring cover stars @zaynmalik and @YG now, for free. https://t.co/zjAyoK7EID pic.twitter.com/cuTSjFwH8h

— The FADER (@thefader) December 18, 2015

Additionally, Malik also remarked that many of his ideas to help mature the sound of One Direction were often brushed aside by their management company, Modest!, and its CEO, X Factor judge Simon Cowell.

“Whenever I would suggest something, it was like it didn’t fit us. There was just a general conception that the management already had of what they want for the band, and I just wasn’t convinced with what we were selling. I wasn’t 100 percent behind the music. It wasn’t me. It was music that was already given to us, and we were told this is what is going to sell to these people. As much as we were the biggest, most famous boy band in the world, it felt weird. We were told to be happy about something that we weren’t happy about.”

In response, Malik’s former boss, Cowell, referred the singer as “rude.”

“I think once he has had a chance to reflect on everything, he will probably reconsider what he’s said because it was a very, very democratic process in the band,” he stated, as noted by Billboard.

Malik’s autobiography, Zayn, is set for release on November 1, and is currently available for pre-order on his official site.

What do you think, Inquisitr readers? Has he had a change of heart, or is he trying to save face for all of the negative comments he has made in the past regarding 1D?

[Featured Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]