‘STILL LAUGHED AT’

Zayn Malik Hints at Racism He Experienced During One Direction in New Song

Malik was a part of the group from 2010 until 2015.

Former One Direction star Zayn Malik is getting candid on his experiences as part of the world-renowned boy band in his newest track, “Fuchsia Sea.” In an Instagram post Saturday, Malik shared a snippet of the upcoming single where he recalled his time in the group and heavily alluded to experiencing racism. “Got my back against the wall so much they think I got a brick fascination / Do you remember every conversation? ‘Cause I have been conscious of every connotation,” Malik raps in the track’s snippet. “And while they concentrate on their elevation, I’ve got a round trip to the constellation / I’m a convert to the concert, and I did that for inflation, ‘cause I worked hard in a white band, and they still laughed at the Asian.” Malik was a member of One Direction alongside Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Liam Payne. Payne died in October 2024 at 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. The group formed in 2010 as part of reality competition series The X Factor. In 2015, Malik announced his departure from the band, saying in a statement at the time that “I have to do what feels right in my heart.” The group ultimately went on an indefinite hiatus a year later. In 2024, Malik publicly reunited with his former bandmates for the first time when attending Payne’s funeral.