Zayn: For the First Time in 6 Years (REVISIT) [VIDEO]

What is up, Daddy Gang? It is your founding father, Alex Cooper. We call her Daddy. Hey. Zane, welcome to Call Her Daddy.

Hey.

I'm so happy that you're here. We have to preface this with, my. fans are watching this like, where the fuck are you guys? We are in my childhood home, Daddy Gang. Okay?

There was no embarrassing photos. That's for the record.

What did you say?

I didn't see any embarrassing photos. I think you hid them all.

Actually, there's a couple. You'll see them on your way out, and then you'll never look at me. the same. I have never done a podcast in my childhood home. So this feels like a little sentimental.

I think I did an interview like six years ago was the last time I did one.

So we're kind of like popping the cherry back off.

I think so, yeah. Something like that.

So you're living in Pennsylvania, and I obviously grew up here. I loved it growing up. It's very family-oriented, very suburban. But I'm curious to know, of all the trendy spots that you could have picked, why Pennsylvania?

Yeah, it's interesting. A lot of people ask me that. They always think it's super random that I live out here. I ended up coming out here with my ex a bit, and I fell in love with it. It was just super calm and chill, like you said, suburban.

You give trendy vibes, but I think I totally relate to that.

I'll take that. I give trendy vibes.

You give trendy vibes. Look at your outfit. It's pretty swaggy. But then you're also hanging with the Amish folk, so it's like a good little juxtaposition, Zane. But what I find interesting is, I love that you said you would be in New York City, and I'm assuming you would be going out, and there's paparazzi everywhere taking photos of you.

No, yeah, that's a great thing.

Are they finding you or no?

No, no, there's none out here. I think there's like laws and stuff. They're not allowed to even take photos in certain places.

Oh, that's amazing. So yeah, it's cool. Okay, the most important question. Have you gone to Wawa yet?

I have. Wawa's, a nighttime lifesaver out here.

I was like, how am I going to get along with Zane if he hasn't had a love for Wawa yet?

Late night studio sessions, there's nothing else open. You have to go to Wawa to get the meatball sub.

It is so fucking superior. I remember growing up, and my excuse whenever I would want to go meet up with boys would be like, Mom, I just want to go get a Wawa sub.

She's in Wawa as your cover up.

Okay, so I feel like, again, you're kind of this mysterious guy, Zane. We don't really know too much about you. You're kind of under the radar. So can you take me through a typical day in the life of Zane in Pennsylvania? Like, what are we doing?

A typical day for me is, it kind of varies. It depends on what kind of mood I wake up in. I take it pretty easy.

Are you someone that likes to be alone?

I like my own space. I like to collect my thoughts in a more quiet environment. I feel like when there's a lot of people around, it just gets a bit hectic for me. I like to chill by myself from time to time. But I don't mind hanging out with people now on occasion.

No, I get that. I feel like that's also growing up. I was recently talking to some of my audience. I was meeting them in person, and we're like, it's kind of weird when you just start to grow up, you just get more specific with who you want to spend your time with. I think that's a healthy thing.

Yeah, I've always thought it would be a pretty normal reaction to feel that way around so many people. I think anybody who is overwhelmed in that manner would feel a certain type of way about it. But I'm definitely learning to manage it a lot better as I'm getting older. It's more of a choice rather than a hindrance. It's not like I can't do that.

You obviously love music. But can you share with us what are some of your other hobbies? What are you passionate about? What's other than music?

My main passion, I think, outside of music is art. I love to paint, and I love to draw. I do a bit of cooking.

Okay, tell me one of your dishes. Come on, I can't cook for shit.

I can cook a lot of different things. But I like to cook meat specifically. I have a smoker outside, and I like to smoke lamb.

Is this new, or were you always good at cooking?

I wasn't always good at cooking, unfortunately, for me. My mom kind of spoiled me as a kid. When I was living by myself at 17,, there were some botched jobs done for some meals. It wasn't great. Some disgusting stuff was going down, for sure.

That's kind of nice to be able to know. you can cook, you're over there painting, you can sing. Okay, no big deal. Don't keep bragging over there. Wow, making us all look bad.

I do, yeah. I've got a lot of animals. I have three cats, three dogs.

Do they get along?

They're kind of in different places. I have some dogs at one part of my house and the cats in the other.

Did the chickens die?

Yeah. I took my chicken to the vet to get a scan because something was wrong with her, and the vet laughed at me and said, People don't bring chickens here.

What are you saying? I'm not laughing because it's funny.

It is kind of funny, but not because the chicken died, but it's just funny seeing me take a chicken to the vet.

And when you say you're holding your chicken, are you holding your chicken like this?

Yeah, fully on my lap, yeah. She died on my lap.

So you weren't crazy for going to the vet?

No, yeah. She had something wrong with her. We tried to rescue them. They were going to be slaughtered, I think,

And what are the names of the cats?

Salem, Dobby, and Vito.

Dobby. Is that from Harry Potter?

It's from Harry Potter. He's a sphinx. He's a pink sphinx, yeah. So he looks a little bit like Dobby. Dobby!

That's so good. You're a Harry Potter fan.

I'm a big Harry Potter fan.

Zane, I didn't know that about you. I wouldn't have pegged you as, like, a Harry Potter guy. Yeah. This is, like, really good vibes.

It was my thing as a kid, yeah.

That's really good. Okay, and what are the dogs' names?

Zion, Zeus, and Thumper. Thumper? With an F, yeah.

Thumper.

Thumper. Like Thumper, but with an F.

How did you come up with that?

Bambi, Thumper, the rabbit. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

But you wanted an F?

Yeah, Thumper thought it sounded better. Yeah.

Yeah, it does sound pretty good. Something I love to do on Call Her Daddy is, like, the reason we all are. the way that we are is because of our childhood, where we came from, who we were raised by, our environment growing up. Obviously, you living in Pennsylvania right now is so different from where you grew up in the UK, in Bradford, like you described. Can you explain to people that may not be familiar with Bradford, like, what was your upbringing like and what was that environment like?

Where do you want me to start?

Just wherever it feels right.

Go ahead. Yeah, Bradford's not obviously like Pennsylvania in terms of, you know, like, the wealth and the way that it's, like, you know, looked after, taken care of. It's an impoverished community, you know. There's people below working class there that have, you know, a hard environment that they're growing up in, you know. Everyone's kind of got some issues going on at home or something's happening, you know.

When you talk about, like, people would question your identity, I know your family is not from the UK. Your family is Pakistani and I'm curious, is that what you're saying?

My father is. My mum's English.

Okay. So, are you saying, like, is that how that was influenced?

No, not necessarily. Just in every sense of the word. Even, like, your fashion, the clothes you want to wear, the way you want to cut your hair, it was always something was questioned, you know. If you weren't doing the norm that was, like, that everybody was doing or even was following, you know, everyone would wear a certain type of pant or a certain type of shoe, and if you weren't dressed that way, you would get questioned about it, you know. Like, people would be very, like, in your face and be like, give me shit.

You got to be able to, like, hold your own.

Exactly, yeah.

And when you say people are coming at you, is it more, like, peer dynamics of or is it more, like, authoritative figures?

There's a, yeah, there's a balance, a mix, sorry, of everything. It depends, you know, there's the peer pressure in schools and stuff, but then it's on the air and stuff. if you're just trying to have a good time, you know, like, it's not as friendly fun, you know. It's a bit more, like,

Talk to me about where you grew up. Like, are you in an apartment? Are you in a condo? Are you in a home?

Oh, no. I grew up in a terraced house, in a rented property. We never owned our own house. So, yeah, it was a small house. There was, like, three bedrooms, kitchen, living room, but the streets, like, are all, like, every house is, like, stuck next to the one next to it, you know what I'm saying?

So, you have three sisters? Mm-hmm. Okay, and so you are the one boy and three sisters.

I do have three sisters, yeah.

What was it like growing up with all, mostly women around you? Like, how do you think that shaped you?

I feel like I learned a lot of things, like, early on. My sisters are very opinionated, you know? They're very strong characters, and, yeah, I love them. They're great. They were a lot of fun, yeah.

I love – I really love when I meet a guy and you can just tell that he has sisters, because you can just tell the way they move around women. You guys learned what a fucking tampon is earlier.

I had to go to the store and buy them.

Wow, so you were, like, really supporting that time of the month. Yeah, yeah. Terrified, but supportive. For sure, yeah. Okay.

Were you reluctant to go to the store and buy anything? Definitely not. It was just kind of weird, like, when the shopkeeper would ask me, like, why I was buying them, and I'm like, obviously, I'm not buying them for myself, you know? Like, do you have to ask me that? Like, just let me buy this.

You wouldn't stick, like, a couple extra, like, snacks around it? You're just like, tampons.

No, yeah, we didn't have money for extra snacks. It was just – it needs to remain, yeah.

Zayn's like, I'll take the super, as these bitches are on it.

Needs to remain, sorry, the other way around. But, yeah, exactly. It was always an awkward conversation, but, yeah, I didn't mind it.

I respect it. I really do.

You've got to do that for your sisters.

Okay, to people, obviously, that weren't there in your childhood, how would you describe your personality as a kid?

My personality as a kid? I think I was a bit of a cheeky, cheeky chappy. Yeah, I used to be mischievous. I used to get into all kinds of just childish stuff, you know? Like, climbing in places I shouldn't have been and falling out of trees and smashing windows and stupid things, yeah.

Oh.

With a football. Accidentally, of course, you know?

Right, right, right. For sure, for sure. So you were getting in trouble a little bit.

Yeah, just like childish stuff, though, you know? Nothing too serious.

Yeah, like climbing trees.

Exactly, yeah. Exciting shit.

Okay, so you were kind of just like doing your thing as a kid, but I also think the way that you're describing the environment that you grew up, was there a way that you could have gone down the wrong path easily because of that environment? It was easy to get wrapped up in the wrong crowd?

Oh, definitely, yeah. I think there was always an opportunity to go and do something that would have got you in serious trouble. I was really lucky in the sense that my mother and father were super protective of that environment. My dad was always aware of the things that were out there and he always explained stuff to me from a young age.

Did you get along with kids in school? Were you the cool kid? Were you bullied? What was the vibe?

Yeah, I think I got on with pretty much everyone. But I was the type of person who only had two, three close friends. I didn't have a big group. I knew people, people knew of me. I don't think I was the cool kid, but I wasn't bullied either.

I feel like a lot of kids, we always have that memory. Maybe it's financial, maybe it's something with the parents or the siblings or extended family. A childhood memory that you remember your family kind of just being stressed or going through something difficult. If you could remember a childhood memory that you remember just being stressed about something in your life.

Looking back at childhood stresses, I feel like a lot of them were so finicky that it was probably just some teenage shit. It wasn't anything important. So I don't really look back at things like that. in my personality, the way I am. I've never really looked back and been like, oh yeah, this is one thing that kind of was a stressful thing.

It's so interesting. I have a lot of respect even for you answering it like that, because I know that you've been open about at one point your family being on food stamps. I feel like a lot of people would sit here and that may have been the answer. That would have been like, well, fuck, I didn't know where my next meal was. You're like, oh, maybe it was childish shit, no big deal.

Yeah, no, and obviously there was some serious things like that, for sure too, but I don't look back at it in terms of a negative light. It all helped to shape and mold who I am and make me grateful for the things that I have now.

Yeah. So we are here because you can sing. When did you first realize you were passionate about singing and you could sing?

I think I was about 11, 12.

I love that the story started with, you know, there were these three triplets and it just felt right to join choir.

I was like eight as well, by the way.

So, swaggy. You're like, I got to get in that class.

I need to just spend this time here.

Right. So, like your natural, just like boy interest ended up, you realized something that you had a true talent. From the triplets to X Factor, you made it. So it's so funny, too, because you say you wouldn't be where you are without your mom, because you didn't want to get out of bed the morning that you had the X Factor audition and your mom made you go. Why did you also not want to go initially?

I think it was just nerves. I built it up in my head and I was like, yo, this is a massive thing. And yeah, I was like, I don't think I'm going to go today. And my mom's, like, you, are going. You're going right now.

For sure. And so did you like practice? You were practicing for it.

Yeah, but I had no idea, no clue. Like. they told us like we had to have like a backing track, like a karaoke version. And like. I was so like inexperienced at that time that I didn't even know what that was.

So that probably made you stand out, though.

I don't know. It could have worked either way. Maybe it made me sound really bad, too.

No, obviously not. Look where you're fucking sitting.

Yeah, true.

Do you remember what you sang?

Yeah, I do. Mario, let me love you. And the reason I said that is because I've seen that performance back a few times and cringed every time I watched it.

But clearly there was something in there, Zayn.

There's some talent. Yeah, there's some potential.

Wow. A cappella, and he just nails it. When you look back at that moment, obviously, is it surreal? If you even had to watch it back, does it even feel like a lifetime ago?

Yeah, it does. It feels so much longer than it actually was, because so much stuff's happened in that time.

It's so good. It's so good. So obviously, then, X Factor, everyone, Simon, everyone came to you, guys, and they had this idea to invent One Direction. And then I think people don't, I don't even know, did you even meet anyone before they put you guys together?

Yeah, we knew each other just from around because we were a similar age and stuff. So naturally you speak to people who are a similar age to you around there and stuff. And we were at boot camp together. I met Harry on my audition day because we both auditioned in Manchester. And we were literally sat next to each other in the audition.

Oh, so it was like fucking meant to be.

He was sat right next to me. We spoke and I went in and did a producing audition round. And then he went in straight after me. And we spoke a little bit there, yeah.

So you weren't complete strangers. That's good to know. I didn't know if they just threw you all together and then you were like, hey, what's up?

It's edited very well, obviously. You don't see all the behind the scenes and stuff. But yeah, you spend a lot of time with the contestants.

Okay, got it. Once. you started, obviously, One Direction and you joined One Direction, how quickly did your actual life change?

It was kind of strange. The visual evidence of life changing, like people being outside of the studio and stuff, was like when we were on the live shows. We started to get a fan base and an audience. And you could see that people were coming in and out of the studio. You could see that people were paying interest in us.

Were you even able to comprehend it?

Not really. I don't think I comprehended it at all. I think it's just a rush. It was just fun. And then repetitive fun over and over again eventually is going to take its toll.

Because it is so interesting. I think people forget you were 17 at the time.

Yeah, 17,. yeah.

My brother lived in this house at 17 and was picking his nose and going to Wawa and trying to fucking get girls to pay attention to him, and you are, all of a sudden, overnight, become one of the biggest stars in the world. Can you help us commoners over here, Zane? Commoners. Commoners. Can you help us understand what skyrocketing to that level of fame can do to you as an individual when you're by yourself at night laying in bed, trying to understand what is happening to you in your life?

Yeah, you can definitely get into deep places of thought if you really reflect on it in that kind of manner. To be honest with you, I don't think I was even intellectually capable to do that at that age. I think it's took time for me to process them things. I think I've had to process it with an older mind and look at it backwards and be like, yo, this was why this happened, and this is what happened, and we took off at this point and this interview made this happen, and this song made this happen, and just decipher it as facts rather than in an emotional manner, because emotion seems to just blur things. So I try not to think about them things on that kind of level like, oh, I'm super famous.

Yeah, a little bit, just a little bit. No, I almost get what you're saying. You kind of have to black it out and just be present, because if you stop to think about all of it, then it's all going to come washing over you.

Exactly, yeah, and that's how I deal with it. I don't black it out so much, but I just don't overthink.

Yeah, you just almost have to stay present because it's like, what else are you going to do?

Yeah, just enjoy it, and then, in 10 years' time, you can look back and be like, this is what happened.

Now you can look at it in hindsight and be like-.

If you have 10 years' time. Right, right, right. If you have that luxury.

Yeah, but you've had time, probably now, to be like, whoa, in your quiet moments now in life where you can actually sit and dissect things that at 17,, 18 years old, again, like you said, I was just having fun. I was just going with it, and also, it's not like you were just on this solo tour. You were a part of something, so that also probably affected of like, be a good team player, go with the flow, do what you got to do. Obviously, your guys' fans are insane. They're obsessed.

I've probably said this a lot of times, but honestly, it was one of the craziest and most bizarre moments ever. I remember coming out of a studio once in Sweden when we were recording What Makes You Beautiful, and this is before even we dropped our first single, and there was a row of maybe five, six bins, like trash cans outside of the studio, and I came out, and every single one of the trash cans opens, and there's three people.

inside of each trash can,

and they tried to grab me, and it was a very memorable moment. That was for sure, yeah. I think I had a mini heart attack.

Humans popped out from garbage cans and tried to grab you. It's like a fucking video game. Yeah, it was. Swallow you into the fucking...

Into the trash can. What? Yeah, it was a funny moment.

Oh, wow. Do you think that in any way...

That's dedication, though, right? To get into a trash can.

Zayn, they were willing to get in the trash bucket for you, okay? Motherfuckers, they are loyal.

They are.

Do you think that those kind of moments, though, not that we don't love the fans, we're obsessed, but people being so obsessed with you, is there any lingering paranoia from people constantly staring at you and following you?

No. No, not really. I don't have paranoia in that sense, no.

That's good, you sleep well.

Yeah, I do. I sleep in Pennsylvania, you know what I mean? It's raining. I can hear the crickets. It's amazing.

No one crazy in Pennsylvania. That's debatable. You're performing in front of massive crowds,

I think there was, but I don't think we had time for it. There was no, like, you have time to have anxiety or be nervous. You're just kind of going to go. do it, you know? Like, get on with it.

I think it's interesting, too, because when you look at bands, or even, just, like, any brand that has, like, multiple people attached to it, like, everyone loves to put archetypes, with people. Like, the Spice Girls, for example, perfect example. You have to label everyone. And so for a boy band, it would be, like, the boy next door, like, the bad boy, like, the brooding one or the funny one. Like, what persona do you think you played?

They make out that I was, like, the brooding, serious one, yeah. But that wasn't necessarily my personality type. I think it's just a marketing scheme. You know, you've got the Teletubbies, you've got Spice Girls, you've got whatever. Like, it's just a marketing scheme, you know?

Yeah, it's interesting. I love the Teletubbie reference. You're like, the Teletubbies, the Spice Girls, One Direction.

I'm like, the fucking Teletubbies. Yeah, I think Simon was behind the Teletubbies, too. Wait, no, stop! Yeah, and the Power Rangers, yeah.

It's so fucking crazy. It's all coming full circle.

He's got a marketing plan.

No, but it's interesting, because I was going to ask, like, I agree, you kind of had this, like, brooding, mysterious personality, and that's why I'm excited to sit down with you today, because, again, those stereotypes that were put onto people, I'm curious if, first of all, who comes up with that? Marketing people, I guess.

I'm guessing, so, yeah.

Yeah, it's not like the fans. It kind of just happens.

Well, yeah, and maybe some of the fans kind of, like, naturally say this, too, you know what I mean? From, like, pictures and things like that.

So did you agree? So you didn't agree with it, but do you think you leaned into it more?

I think I just had one face to pull, you know? I was doing the Zoolander, like, that, was it, you know what I mean? I was only a young kid. I didn't know what else to do.

I get it. If anything, maybe it made it easier, because you're like, this is just my lane. This is me.

Just stick with this. Don't ask me too many questions.

Do you think you're mysterious?

Not really. I just like to just, like, chill, you know? I like to be in the back a little bit. Yeah. Yeah, I'm a bit more relaxed.

You're not trying to jump in front.

Yeah, exactly.

Okay, well, now you're solo, so you got to jump in front, Zane. Okay, we're going to get there.

Take the reins.

I love how you kind of mentioned, you know, you got out at the right time, and I think that you, leaving the band, obviously shook the fucking world, and everyone was like, Zane, like, no, like, keep it together. But I think what, again, we forget is you're a human being, and you clearly had to take care of your mental health and do what was best for you. Can you – I know you've lightly talked about this, but just so we get a full circle moment, can you just take us back to that moment of, like, actually sitting with yourself and knowing it was time to leave?

Yeah, I think I'd known for a minute. There was a lot of, look, I don't want to go into too much detail, but there was a lot of politics going on. Certain people were doing certain things. Certain people didn't want to sign contracts. So I knew something was happening.

I love that you're saying that, too, because I think people can relate to that. If you're with the same people, 24-7, no shit. And I think I can imagine, as you guys were younger, everyone was so idealizing this band that you couldn't say that back in the day. Yeah, we got fucking sick of each other. It was time to do our own things, and I think that's so okay.

For sure, yeah. It's an idea, isn't it? When you watch Friends, you don't want Joey cussing off Chandler, you know what I mean? You want these people to be best friends. It's an idea.

Yeah, you want them to stay together forever. But I also think it's so healthy, because imagine if you hadn't ended it, then you really would have fucking hated each other. And being able to go on your own way. Also, someone always has to be the first one to leave. Exactly.

I don't think I was afraid. No.

I think that's so smart, because I think social media, even if you're not famous, everyone is feeding themselves and their worth by what other people are saying about them. And it's, like, you, good with your family? And I don't mean family by blood.

You may not be good with.

But did you not tell your mom you were doing it?

Did I not tell my mom I was leaving? Yeah. No, it was kind of spur of the moment. I'd not told her beforehand, like, oh, I'm thinking of leaving. I just called her on that day that I was leaving and said, I'm coming home.

That's actually really cute, that the first person's like, mom, do you have a bed? for me? She's like, let's go. Because didn't you also buy your mom... One of the first things you did with your success is you bought her a home.

I did, yeah.

How cool is that to be able to buy your mom something after everything she's done?

It's amazing, yeah. It's a great feeling.

Wild. Okay, so you leave the band and take me to. when you're laying in your mom's home. You're in bed. What were those next couple weeks like for you, like, mentally and emotionally?

It was interesting. I was just trying to get stuff together. Like, I wanted to get, like a plan of action. You know what I mean? So I was like on a bit of a mission.

That must have been so stressful too, because I feel like, I guess we see it in various different forms, but, like, if you make a jump, even if someone like quits their job, right? They're like, I need to prove to myself and other people that, like I, now can do it. Like, and so did you put pressure on yourself when, obviously, you came out being solo? Like, were you fucking nervous?

Yeah, for sure. It's a very different experience. standing on stage by yourself too. Like. it's a whole different workload as well, singing three and a half minutes of a song completely by yourself.

You're just like, dang, it's your part.

Yeah, oh yeah, nice one. But yeah, I just kind of had to like make an adjustment. I started practicing a lot more, singing a lot more and just like making sure I could sing for three minutes.

Right, you had to be like, I need to get back to my. let me love you. days where I'm like back on X Factor, it's just me. I'm curious and I don't know, because I know you were saying and I totally respect it of like. you were kind of just in this phase of going, going, going, and you didn't have time to stop.

Yeah, definitely. I think that's why I've took the time I have to like not even necessarily do interviews and do too much like press exposure, because I feel like we were so overexposed in the band that, like it, takes a bit of time for you naturally to progress as a human and give something else that is interesting, that you have to say. You don't want to be sat there just saying the same shit on repeat. You know what I mean? Day in, day out.

I love that too, because I feel like people, especially creators, there's such a stress about taking a break, and it doesn't mean you're actually taking a break. You could be working your ass off.

Still working, yeah.

But like popping out of the scene.

Not doing it in the spotlight.

And were you able to just not have anxiety about it because you're like, I know I'm coming back, but it's like, I gotta just be good on my own shit and not be fulfilling the tabloids and everyone else. Like, how am I on my own right now?

Exactly, yeah. That was the whole thought behind it, for sure.

So you started doing your own solo music, and I remember, when you came out, Pillow Talk, all the good stuff, you popped off, and it's like really dope to see you coming out with your own sound and creative. and it's you and that's exciting to know like you are producing this. and it's not obviously, no shade to One Direction, but you're one of five. You can't really have a full say in shit. Now this is you.

Creatively, I just wanted to talk about things that were a bit more real, like an authentic to situations I was going through in my life. Obviously, certain things that we would talk about in the band was always very clean cut, like just glazing over the top. Not really any depth or any stories to what's going on, and that was always a big thing for me. Obviously, I understand, again from a marketing scheme, that the audience and the fan base we were appealing to at that point was that kind of vibe. so it was never going to work for that kind of audience.

I get that because even earlier you said you like to write poetry and I'm like. I can only imagine how much the writing process is therapeutic and you get to infuse parts of yourself and your identity, whereas that just wasn't in the past, which it shouldn't have been. It was a band, it was great, whatever, but now you can actually artistically exercise that part of yourself, which must be really fun.

I think it's difficult for people to write songs even from one perspective. There was five of us in the room when we used to write sometimes, and it was so hard to get us all to have the same viewpoint and want to talk about the same thing. So in that sense, from a creative point, it is a lot more freeing for me, like I can fully get to grips with every part of it the melody, the story, the production, the emotion, the feeling that I'm trying to convey in each song. so in that sense it's super liberating.

It's cool, because I think you're getting now. we're getting to know you a little bit better now that you are doing solo music. but do you think, do you think that the world, even like slightly, knows Zayn yet?

I don't know.

Still a little mysterious, Zayn.

I'm trying, I'm trying, I'm trying to be an open book.

Okay, how about this? Describe yourself in three words.

Describe myself in three words?

Well,

I'm definitely not going to use mysterious as one of them. I would say

All the girls watching this are like,

ah, so nice.

That's so nice. What's your favorite thing about yourself?

I don't know. I think I like the fact that I'm pretty witty. Like, I'm pretty smart. Like, and I enjoy that about myself. I think.

you're in good company with yourself.

Yeah, yeah. I enjoy that. I'm pretty smart. I have little laughs to myself, you know, about that.

What's your least favorite thing about yourself?

I'm a bit sensitive sometimes. Yeah. Not in a bad way. Yeah. I can take things the wrong way sometimes.

Like give me an example.

Like. I just like tend to like. if somebody says something to me, like I'll take it the wrong way. If I really care about their opinion, what they're saying to me.

Got it. Then you'll get upset. Yeah. I think that's good, though. That means you care.

Yeah. Like I said, with the people that are close to me.

Right. Do you think you, at times, can be too caring in moments that you need to learn to like?

I'm learning to be a bit more tame with it. Yeah, for sure.

Little boundaries. Yeah.

No, not boundaries. Just like. I'm just learning not to like get in my head about certain things, you know, across the board. Like. I exercise that well in terms of like dealing with the media and things like that.

That's good, though. Again, it does mean you care. But I get, then you're like, yeah, but then I'm over here like dying inside. I got to like muster up the courage to be like.

Then I go write a song.

Yeah, yeah. Put that into a song. Okay. Give us one. that's like really sad.

So we can like cry. I've got a few. I've got a few. Oh, really? A few, really sad ones, yeah.

See, this is what we need. Okay. We need some criers.

We've got some cry moments.

What do you think is the biggest misunderstanding about you?

That I'm like super serious. Like that I like just, I'm like super stern and serious, yeah. All the time. When I'm not, like.

It's actually nice to be in person with you, because I could see in media. it could come off, I get it, like serious. You're literally just chilling.

Yeah. You're relaxed. I'm just relaxed.

You're cozy in your sweater. There's thunder. There's rain.

We're just relaxed. We're in Pennsylvania. Didn't even have to drive too far. Came to your mom's house.

Let's talk about anxiety. I know that you have lightly talked about it in times and I just want to talk to you about, like, how anxiety affects your life. What has it done in terms of playing a part in your personal life and your career? Just talk to me about what you're comfortable with.

Yeah, so I think we kind of touched on it a bit earlier, like when we were talking about the nature of our job. What we were doing in the band and the situation being on stage in front of thousands of people. I think it's a really normal place to experience anxiety. You're going to go and perform in front of a lot of different people that you don't know who they are, and it's not a natural thing to do in terms of everyday life. You don't just talk to thousands of people.

That is so fucking cool to, obviously my mom's a psychologist. so I grew up in. I think mental health was not a conversation for most families and hopefully it will be. but like I've watched my mom talk to so many people and talk them through how to get over a panic attack, how to get over anxiety, how to not get over it, but like manage it, live with it, be okay to go about your everyday life. I think sometimes if you don't have anxiety, people look at people with anxiety like just get the fuck over it, and I think it shows up in everyone's lives in such different ways.

and you say And I don't think that's the way you can look at it, you know, I think everybody's situation is individual. I think it takes an individual experience then to happen, for somebody to overcome that too, you know.

Totally. If you think about the first time, you can recall in your life experiencing anxiety. did you experience anxiety prior to fame?

For sure.

Like. take me to like a moment in your life where you remember being like wow, I didn't know that was anxiety, but now I do.

I enjoyed it. that was a thing, yeah, like. I enjoyed being in that feeling and then it got to a certain point, I think, where it just became too much, like I just was weighing on me that feeling of like anticipation and then getting the adrenaline, and then the after feeling of that. you know, as a young kid, I loved it, like I loved being on stage and I loved performing. it was like a free space for me to go and be a character, because it was, you know, I was playing a role in some little school performance.

yeah, people staring at you, judging you, writing about you, following you, taking pictures of you. that's a lot can you share with us, like in the heyday of paparazzi, and insanity, like what would be something that would really trigger your anxiety in those days.

just the idea of like, like not being able to just do normal things, like to just go outside and like walk out onto the street. you know, like cause, where we lived it was kind of a bit crazy, and there's just people always there like waiting to take a photo and stuff and obviously thinking about having a child, and like raising her in that environment. it was just very claustrophobic for me. I didn't want her to have to be like exposed to that cause. she didn't choose it.

let's talk about you being a father, because.

that public.

about your life and that's something that you live with every day, and to say like having a child has helped you overcome something that is like in your day to day. that's like pretty debilitating in moments. um yeah, but you, being famous and having a child, like deciding to move here, I can imagine you're trying to shield her from this life that you also are still trying to figure out, like, is it a lot?

um, I feel like um there's. there's a, there's a healthy way to do it, you know, um, I'm not necessarily trying to shield her from it, cause she's, she's gonna know. you know, if she's gonna get to a certain point, she's gonna have a certain level of awareness. she's gonna know what's going on. um, I'm just trying to give her an option, you know.

okay, how has becoming a dad shifted your priorities in life?

um, the the crazy thing is, obviously I have her 50% of the time. so, um, that time I have with her is so important because I feel like she's growing up so fast like um. so when I'm with her, I don't work like at all. I just spend a full day with her doing the things that she wants to do, like painting, playdough this, that go to the park, go to the theme park, go to the zoo, like we just have fun, like, and I feel like I've, like re been, uh, rekindled my own childhood like through her. you know what I'm saying.

what is a dad quality that you've proudly taken on. that makes you laugh a little when you think about it of like oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm doing this.

I keep being told I'm telling dad jokes and I'm leaning into it. I'm just like it's okay, it's cool like I'm using like Christmas cracker jokes and stuff, and it's really funny like people just look at me like I'm a weirdo and I'm like, yeah, I'm a dad. now I'm allowed to tell these jokes. you have to give me a pass. wow, Zane.

I didn't expect that. I'm not gonna lie.

yeah, I love a dad joke.

you're like full dad vibe.

that's it. yeah, I'm going. I'm going full dad. no, I love how you're like.

I'm fully leaning in. there is no stopping me. okay, well, you haven't cracked one here, so if you want to, you can always give us your best, but you know.

when it feels we'll save that for another time. okay.

what is your favorite thing to do with your daughter?

my favorite thing to do with her is she shows a lot of signs of like musical intelligence already. so I just love like playing instruments with her and singing with her like I'll sing and she sings along and she can do like good harmonies and stuff already and she's only two and a half like and she harmonizes with me well and like finishes notes and she can hold them for a long time. I'm like you might have a bit of ability you.

I'm picturing the two of you playing with play-doh and you start singing and then your daughter starts singing.

she can hit these high notes like falsetto, like yeah, it's crazy, I'm like yo, like whoa.

you're good.

I couldn't do this. I didn't speak. how much do you sing? yeah, it's mad, and she remembers, like full lyrics to songs as well. like every word, it's mad, wow.

we got a superstar in our hands. okay, okay, it's interesting to hear you say like you're singing to her, which, like I, would've loved if my dad could've sang. he can't. what are you singing to her and like what are her favorite songs that you sing?

she loves Disney movies. so we sing a lot of Disney songs together and sing like you've got a friend in me and stuff. she thinks it's really cute.

honestly, that's really cute. thinking about you guys singing that. what qualities of yourself, aside from like having that musical aspect, more like personality, like, what qualities do you see from yourself and your daughter?

I think she's funny, like she's a bit of a cheeky one. yeah, she likes to have a bit of a joke and stuff like laugh a lot. um, she's. she's chilled, but she loves reading as well, um, which is something I think she definitely took from me, like she just has an affinity for words, like she remembers everything.

has becoming a parent changed your relationship with your parents?

definitely yeah, in in a in a like respect way. you know. like you, you just have so much respect for the things that they've put aside for you. you know, like when you realize all the sacrifices that you make as a parent, like just to be there and be present with your child, like you, can't have nothing but respect for that for sure.

I know you said like obviously you have for 50% of the time you want to make the most of these moments like what's something that you guys have done together recently. that made you so happy and you had like such a great time.

we went to Nickelodeon in New Jersey. oh my god, it was so fun. it was really good. I enjoyed it. I know it's like super childish, but like I had a lot of fun.

that is so good. how is co-parenting going?

co-parenting is is good. yeah, we have a really good relationship. for Kai, she's the the you know the main importance.

yeah,

so yeah, it's going well.

yeah, okay.

I think.

Zane's like.

uh, from me, from me, yeah.

okay. so I want to ask you if I can ask one question just about like as delicately as I can go about it. I feel like I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't ask about the 2021 incident. I know you can't really speak on it. I think, obviously, as a man you like.

yeah. so for me, like we were talking about earlier, I don't tend to get involved when people say things online, whether it's got something to do with me or whether it doesn't, because for me, my most valuable thing that I have in life is time, and that takes so much time in a toxic environment to like explain yourself to people and justify this, and so I just kind of keep to myself. I knew what the situation was, I knew what happened, and the people involved knew what happened too, and that's all I really cared about. if anybody you know of a same mind would look at the situation, I believe that you could respect that. like I just didn't want to bring attention to anything, you know, I just wasn't trying to get into a negative back and forth with her any sort of narrative online, where my daughter was going to look back and read that and be able to read into it, and it would just be something that was.

I can only imagine, like, first of all, no fucking family is perfect and so to be on the stage that you guys are on I.

and, like you said, your family issues you know, like if something happens in the family, like I'd rather keep that between the family. you know we don't need a whole audience of people and opinions, because, yeah, it's hard enough to manage between two I.

more. so just also wanted to give you the chance, because I think you obviously handled it so amicably. I also think in doing my job, like this is a podcast where I'm trying to support women right and like reading headlines like I wanted to hear from you. obviously because hearing you even today, I don't know if like I'm just gonna say what it is like. you have said you have 50% custody and so anything that has we've all read online like, well, if that was true, then that would have affected that.

child. yeah, so I.

think it's just important to say, because people are reading this shit.

being like oh yeah, no, for sure yeah, and I'm super full-on. yeah, like, yeah, hands-on with my child every chance I can be. if I could get 60%, I would have it. yeah, okay.

let's talk about your music. mm-hmm. you're coming back. we're getting a song. tell me what inspired the song.

give it to us. yeah, so I'm working well. I've been working on my record for a minute, um, and I have a single for the song I'm summer coming out, called love. like this. that's like a standalone song, um, just a summer jam.

bop, like. someone asked me recently like, oh, like, what's the song of summer? and I actually said you know what, like. I'm interviewing someone and I know they have a single coming out and I have a feeling that could be the song of summer. are you nervous to go on stage like alone, um?

I was, yeah, like when I first started, like performing by myself. I was, I was nervous and I'm still nervous now because it's been a few years that I've been on stage. but I have this like energy to like. I feel like I have something to give and I want to get on stage and be there again to feel that. that's one thing I can say.

can we expect any music inspired by your daughter on your?

records. uh, yeah, definitely yeah, I'm um, I'm doing a, I'm doing a record. I don't think people are really gonna expect like um. it's a different sound for me and it's got some like, more like a narrative, going on like real life experiences and stuff. so yeah, my daughter's mentioned in there a couple of times.

gonna be so fucking dope to actually hear from you in long form, essentially because an album is in long form. like we're gonna get to know you more, which is exciting again because, Mr. Mysterious, over there we're still trying to understand they. um, okay, what is something that you want your fans to take away from this interview?

I'd like my fans to feel like they're got to know me a bit, because you keep saying I'm Mr. Mysterious open, I do appreciate it. yeah, no, so I'm hoping they got to know me a little bit and they feel like they've seen me and caught with me a bit. and you know they're gonna see me a lot more like and I want them to know that, like across the board, like I've kind of had a full like mental rehaul, and in the best way, thanks to my, my child and you know, being able to see things in a different light. and um, I'm gonna be a lot more present and I'm hopefully people are gonna see me a lot.

more. I love it. yeah, Zane, thank you so much for coming on Call Her, Daddy. this was truly a pleasure.

thank you for having me.