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Open in new tab Even by showbiz standards, life as a member of One Direction is a rollercoaster ride.
The boys had a meteoric rise to fame five years ago and have admitted collapsing exhausted on the floor just feet from their beds because of their tough workload and non-stop touring. Jamie Scott, the songwriter behind some of 1D’s biggest hits, said despite the adulation of fans and the band raking in £48million last year, everyone has their breaking point.
And that is the simple reason why Zayn Malik, 22, fell out of love with life in the group and had to walk away. Jamie said: “Zayn went because he’d had enough. Have you ever been on the road for four years? These guys aren’t at home. “There is no way the same thing is going to run through all five guys, that they’re all going to want to be on the road so much together. Eventually he got to a point where he’d had enough.
Instinct
“It was, ‘OK, I don’t want to be in this band any more’. It was that simple, it was human instinct kicking in. People want it to be complicated and have secret reasons but that is what it was.”
Zayn was put together with Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, all now 2 1 , a n d L o u i s Tomlinson, 23, by pop mogul Simon Cowell after they auditioned separately on The X Factor in 2010. They became a global phenomenon. When he quit in March, Zayn said he wanted to live life as “a normal 22-year-old” and later said: “I’ve let fans down but I can’t do it any more”.
do it any more”. The remaining four members are carrying on with their punishing world tour. Next month they are in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland before playing 23 concerts in America and Canada over the summer. They are also working on their fifth album, said to be set for a Christmas release. And Jamie, 32, behind 1D songs such as Story of My Life and Night Changes, is in the studio with them.
s in the studio with them. He rubbished rumours of an imminent split, insisting the boys remain close friends – with none of them dominating behind the scenes. “Harry is not the boss,” said Jamie.
“I would say that they don’t have a boss. If they did they wouldn’t be together now because that boss wouldn’t survive. They each have their roles. “With Backstreet Boys and Take That you saw the end coming. With 1D, if the music keeps reinventing they won’t break up. We discussed that.
“As long as the music is not dying and they’re crossing over to older fans, there is no reason to break up and they want to go on and keep the ride going.” But despite talk of moving their music forward, another rumour Jamie nipped in the bud was that the lads’ new album would be taking on a hip-hop vibe.
He said: “They are definitely not going hip-hop as reported. Since we wrote Story of My life on the third album none of the rules have changed and this album will be the same.” Part of that winning formula is Jamie’s laid-back approach, putting the team at ease to get the best out of them.
“I had Liam, Louis and Niall here last week,” said Jamie. “They come to my studio at the bottom of the garden, sometimes with friends, and it’s like having a party. We sit round on the floor, some are outside, and I try to create a country atmosphere.
“I have a relationship with the boys where they can be themselves and that’s how we’ve done these amazing albums. “I like us all to eat together and want everyone to get involved because that’s how you get the best music out of people. How close you get is the difference between writing an OK song or a brilliant song.
“They love cowriting as they don’t all play instruments. And it’s OK if Harry’s away in LA and not with us because they have such cohesiveness as a four-piece.”
Scrutiny
But broader relationships are a factor in any band and Liam has said another of Zayn’s reasons for quitting was his fiancée, Little Mix star Perrie Edwards. They got engaged in August 2013. Liam added: “Sometimes you have to move on because you’re not enjoying what you’re doing like you used to.”
This week, Perrie admitted their relationship was under intense scrutiny. Appearing on a radio show without her engagement ring – which she later explained was being cleaned – she joked: “In the paper tomorrow we’ll probably not be together any more.”
Despite turning his back on 1D, Zayn is now recording solo material with producer Naughty Boy.
Jamie said there are no hard feelings but his focus remains with the group. He said: “With Zayn gone my allegiance is with the band. I’m sure there’ll come a point where they’re all completely good with each other. But I wouldn’t work with Zayn now or any of the 1D boys individually. It would counter what I’m doing with the band.”