Zayn Malik hails One Direction bandmate Niall Horan: 'He makes the best music'

By Megan Armstrong | Last updated 3/18/21

Zayn Malik, primarily known as just ZAYN, was asked by hosts Alan Light and Mark Goodman to rank his former One Direction bandmates during a stop by SiriusXM's Debatable on Thursday.

The 28-year-old demurred at first before the truth came out: "I tell you what, Niall (Horan) is my favorite. How about that? Niall makes the best music. There you go. He makes better music than me, yeah. I'm a Niall fan."

One Direction was the most popular boy band in the world for a time, forming in 2010 before announcing an indefinite hiatus in August 2015. Malik had left the band March 25, 2015. He, Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson have each released solo music since then.

Styles became the only one to win a Grammy last Sunday:

Conversely, Malik has been in the news for denouncing the Grammys.

Wednesday, Malik released a song with Ingrid Michaelson titled "To Begin Again"—his first release since dropping his third studio album Nobody Is Listening in January.

As for Horan, the 27-year-old Irishman has released two solo full-length projects: Flicker (2017) and Heartbreak Weather (2020).

Elsewhere in his Debatable interview, Malik further clarified his controversial Grammys opinion and opened up about becoming a new father. Listen below.