While One Direction fans all over the world will disagree with the following statement, Liam Payne admitted that Zayn Malik's departure from the group may have actually been a blessing in disguise.
During an appearance on Good Morning Britain Wednesday, alongside band member Louis Tomlinson, Payne had some diplomatic words for his former "Steal My Girl" crooner.
"One Direction was never really Zayn's kind of bag, if you know what I mean. His taste in music's a bit different. And I guess that's kind of what drove him to do what he did in the end, which is not necessarily a bad thing," he said.
Malik broke the hearts of fans everywhere when he famously walked away from the group in March, initially citing desires for a private life outside of the spotlight. A few months later, he revealed the true reason for his drastic exit—a solo recording contract with RCA Records.
Though it may have caused quite the controversy nearly a year ago, Malik's former bandmates have maintained a positive outlook on the separation, focusing on the group and Malik's new opportunities to thrive in their own directions.
While Malik has not yet debuted his first solo album, One Direction finished off their On The Road Again tour and released their first single off their fifth album—the first song without their fifth bandmate.
"Everyone's come out fine from it, thanks to our beautiful fans. He's off doing what he loves as well," Payne added during the televised interview. "Both parties are winners in the end of a disaster of a situation. So, it's all good."
The comment echoes a similar sentiment to the statement Payne gave in May, blaming an underlying feeling of boredom for the 22-year-old, who was also engaged to Perrie Edwards at the time of his withdrawal from the group.
"Sometimes you have to move on because you're not enjoying what you're doing as much as you used to," Payne said in May when asked why Zayn left the band. "He wanted to spend time with his family and his missus. That's cool with us."