It has been 11 years to Zayn Malik’s shocking departure from popular boy band, One Direction.

The 33-year-old became a part of the famous English Irish pop group in 2010 on X-Factor.

For five years, he continued to make music and went on music tours with Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Liam Payne.

But in a surprising turn of events, he announced his departure from the group on March 25, 2015.

The news came out as a shock to not only the fans, but also to the bandmates as they were completely clueless of the fact that Zayn wasn’t enjoying anymore.

As it marks 11 years of his exit from One Direction, his old interview is making rounds on the internet in which he shared what happened the day he decided to part ways with the band.

“I woke up that morning, and was like, I need to go home”, said Malik. Since all the boys were most of the time on the road for shows and interviews, it really affected their health and became quite monotonous very quickly.

The PILLOWTALK singer reflected on how difficult it was to survive under strict management.

He said in his 2015 interview with Fader, “I wasn’t 100 percent behind the music. It wasn’t me. It was music that was already given to us and were told this is what is going to sell to these people.”

Following his departure, other 1D bandmates also announced their indefinite hiatus in 2016.