What is up, Daddy Gang? It is your founding father, Alex Cooper with Call Her Daddy. Hey, Zane. Welcome to Call Her Daddy.

Hey.

I'm so happy that you're here. We have to preface this with... My fans are watching this like, Where the fuck are you guys? We are in my childhood home, Daddy Gang. Okay? Zane and I are in my living room that I grew up in. Zane got here and has had to look at all the embarrassing childhood photos of me. Thank you so much for coming. I've never done an interview. There was no embarrassing photos, just for the record. What did you say?

I didn't see any embarrassing photos. I think you heard them all.

Actually, there's a couple. You'll see them on your way out, and then you'll never look at me the same. I have never done a podcast in my childhood home. So this feels like a little sentimental. Also, you never really do interviews. I don't. When is the last time you did something like I think I did an interview six years ago.

Was the last time I did one?

So we're popping the cherry back off.

I think so, yeah. You're getting back. Something like that.

So you're living in Pennsylvania, and I obviously grew up here. I loved it growing up. It's very family-oriented, very suburban. But I'm curious to know, of all the trendy spots that you could have picked, why Pennsylvania?

Yeah, it's interesting. A lot of people ask me that they always think it's super random I live out here. I ended up coming out here with my ex a bit, and I fell in love with it. It was just super calm and chill, like you said, suburban. And I just wanted to take a break from the busy city because I was living in New York for three years at the time. And it just got a bit overwhelming, going out of your door to just craziness all the time. So I just wanted a bit more of a surrounding that I'm used to, where I grew up in Bradford, in the UK. It's a lot more this pace and vibe. So I feel like I just fit in better around here than I do in the trendy spots as it were.

Yeah, you give trendy vibes But I think I totally relate to that. Sometimes when you get to- I'll take that. Yeah.

I give trendy vibes.

You give trendy vibes. Look at your outfit. It's pretty swaggy. But then you're also hanging with the Amish folk. So it's a good little juxtaposition, Zane. But what I find interesting is I love that you said you would be in New York City, and I'm assuming you would be going out and there's paparazzi everywhere taking photos of you. Pennsylvania, there ain't no paparazzi. Yeah, that's a great thing. Are they finding you or no?

No, no. There's none out here. I think there's laws and stuff. They're not allowed to even take photos in certain places.

Oh, that's amazing. Okay, the most important question, have you gone to Wawa yet? I have.

Wawa is a night time lifesaver out here.

I was like, how am I going to get along with saying if he hasn't had a love for Wawa yet? So you love it.

Yeah, like late night studio sessions. There's nothing else open. You have to go to Wawa, get the meatball sub.

It is so fucking superior. I remember growing up and my excuse whenever I would want to go meet up with boys would be like, Mom, I just want to go get a Wawa sub. And she'd be like, You're not doing a- She's using Wawa as your cover up. Okay, so I feel like, again, you're this mysterious guy, Zane. We don't really know too much about you. You're under the radar. So can you take me through a typical day in the life of Zane in Pennsylvania? What are we doing? Make us feel like we're a part of your life.

A typical day for me is... It varies. It depends what mood I woke up in, but I take it pretty easy. Now, because obviously I've got my doll 50 % of the time, It's a balance between the two things. But when I buy myself a typical day, I'll probably wake up around midday, have a shower, eat some food, and then figure out if I'm going to go to the studio and do some writing because I've been in writing mode for a long time, just working on my records and stuff. So just getting into the studio pretty much. And then I'll be there all day until I got sleep. Then you're going to Wawa. And then I go to Wawa, yeah. Yeah, of course. Stop I'll have for a sandwich.

Are you someone that likes to be alone?

I like my own space. I like to collect my thoughts in a more quiet environment. I feel like when there's a lot a lot of people around, it just gets a bit hectic for me. I like to chill by myself from time to time, but I don't mind hanging out with people now on occasion. You know what I'm saying? It has to be the right environment and I have to want to be there.

No, I get that. I feel like that's also growing up. I was recently talking to some of my audience. I was meeting them in person and we're like, it's weird when you just start to grow up, you just get more specific with who you want to spend your time with. I think that's a healthy thing. Obviously, you're on an even bigger stage because you were around millions of people in stadiums and tours and everything. But I also think that's relatable. It's like, you know what? Sometimes I want to be alone and then I'll still hang with people. But you got to be good company.

Yeah. I've always thought it would be a pretty normal reaction to feel that way around so many people. I think anybody who is overwhelmed in that manner would feel a certain type of way about it. But I'm definitely learning to manage it a lot better. As I'm getting older, it's more of a choice rather than a hindrance. It's not like I can't do that. It's like I'd rather prefer not to.

Yeah, that makes sense.

I own it a bit more, yeah.

You obviously love music, but can you share with us what are some of your other hobbies? What are you passionate about? What's other than music?

My main passion, I think outside of music is art. I love to paint and I I love to draw. I do a bit of cooking.

Okay, tell me one of your dishes. Come on. I can't cook for shit.

I can cook a lot of different things, but I like to cook meat, specifically. I have a smoker outside and I like to smoke I cook lamb and I'll do grilled vegetables with it and stuff.

Is this new or were you always good at cooking?

I wasn't always good at cooking, unfortunately for me. My mom spoiled me as a kid. So when I was living by myself, at 17, there was some botch jobs done for some meals. It wasn't great. Some disgusting stuff was going down for sure.

Like mac and cheese, throwing noodles.

Horrible. Just sandwiches out of crisps.

That's nice to be able to know. You can cook, you're over there painting, you can sing. Okay, no big deal. Don't keep bragging over there. Wow, making us all look bad. Do you have animals?

I do, yeah. I've got a lot of animals. I have three cats, three dogs.

Do they get along?

They're in different places. I have some dogs at one part of my house and the cats in the other. We have three turtles, six chickens.

Do you name them all?

No, I haven't. Not this time. I got too attached last time and it made me really sad.

Did the chickens die? Yeah.

I took my chicken to the vet to get a scan because something was wrong with her. And the vet laughed at me and said, people don't bring chickens here. And then they still charged me for an X-ray. And then I took my chicken all the way home and cried. She died in my arms.

What are you saying? I'm not laughing because it's funny.

It is funny, but not because the chicken died, but it's just funny seeing me take a chicken to the vet.

And when you say you're holding your chicken, are you holding your chicken like this?

Yeah, fully on my lap. She died on my lap.

So you weren't crazy for going to bed?

No. She had something wrong with it. We tried to rescue them. They were going to be slaughter, I think. And they had all kinds of things wrong with them. But I've got new chickens now, and they're all healthy and stuff. But I didn't name them for that reason.

Okay. And what are the names of the cats?

Salem, Dobby, and Veto.

Dobby. Is that from Harry Potter?

It's from Harry Potter. He's a Sphinx. He's a pink Sphinx. So he looks a little bit like Dobby. Dobby. I love you. Harry.

That's so good. You're a Harry Potter fan.

I'm a big Harry Potter fan.

Zane, I didn't know that about you. I wouldn't have pegged you as a Harry Potter guy. This is really good vibe.

It was my thing as a kid.

That's really good. Okay, and what are the dog's names?

Zion, Zus, and Fumper. Fumper? With an F, yeah. Thumpa? Thumpa. Like, Thumpa, but with an F.

How did you come up with that?

Bambi, Thumpa, the Rabbit.

But you wanted an F.

Yeah, Fumper, I thought it sounded better. Yeah. It's better in my accent, thumper.

Yeah, it does sound pretty good. Something I love to do on Call Her Daddy is the reason we all are the way that we are is because of our childhood, where we came from, who we were raised by, our environment growing up. Obviously, you living in Pennsylvania right now is so different from where you grew up in the UK, in Bradford, like you described. Can you explain to people that may not be Are you familiar with Bradford, what was your upbringing like and what was that environment like?

Where do you want me to start?

Just wherever it feels right.

Go ahead. Bradford is not obviously like Pennsylvania in terms of the wealth and the way that it's looked after, taken care of. It's an impoverished community. There's people below working class there that have a hard environment that they're growing up in. Everyone's got some issues going on at home or something's happening, even if it's on the street or whatever, wherever you go, there's a lot of confliction. So it was very different to hear in that sense, for sure. But I'm very grateful for where I grew up because it definitely, like you said, shaped and molded a lot of identity for me. Early on, I was questioned, interrogated about my identity because of my environment. It's just the way it is. You have to have a good understanding of who you are. And I'm really grateful for that. It helped cement my own identity myself, I think.

When you talk about people would question your identity, I know your family is not from the UK. Your family is Pakistani. And I'm curious, is that- My father is.

My mom's English. Okay.

So are you saying, is that how that was influenced?

No, not necessarily. Really just in every sense of the world, even your fashion, the clothes you want to wear, the way you want to cut your hair. It was always something was questioned. If you weren't doing the norm that was like that everybody was doing or everyone was following, everyone would wear a certain type of pant or certain type of shoe. And if you weren't dressed that way, you would get questioned about it. People would be very in your face and be like, give you shit. So you had to have a bit about you so that you could know who you were and have a conversation back. Have a bit of witz about you is street smart.

You got to be able to hold your own.

Exactly.

And when you say people are coming at you, is it more like peer dynamics or is it more authoritative figures?

Yeah. There's a mix, sorry, of everything. It depends. There's the peer pressure in schools and stuff, but then it's on the street. If you go out there and stuff, if you're just trying to have a good time, it's not as friendly fun. It's a bit more like irate. There's a bit of aggression going on. You know what I mean?

Talk to me about where you grew up. Like, are you in an apartment? Are you in a condo?

I grew up in a terraced house in a rented property. We never owned our own house. So, yeah, it was a small house. There was like three bedrooms, kitchen, living room. But the streets are all like every house is stuck next to the one next to it. You know what I'm saying? There's no space. You have a garden that's enough for maybe a dog to sit. So, yeah, it's a bit different for sure.

So you have three sisters? Mm-hmm. Okay. And so you are the One boy and three sisters. I did have three sisters, yeah. What was it like growing up with all mostly women around you? How do you think that shaped you?

I feel like I learned a lot of things early on. My sisters are very opinionated. They're very strong characters. I love them. They're great. They were a lot of fun. It was always entertaining in our house, for sure.

I really love when I meet a guy, and you can just tell that he has sisters because you can just tell the way they move around women. You guys learned what a fucking tampon is earlier.

I had to go to the store and buy them.

Wow. So you were really supporting that time of the month? Yeah. Terrified, but supportive. For sure, yeah. Were you reluctant to go to the store and buy anything?

Definitely not. It was just weird when the shopkeeper would ask me why I was buying them, and I'm like, Obviously, I'm not buying them for myself. Do you have to ask me that? Just let me buy this.

You wouldn't stick a couple of extra snacks around it. You're just like, tampon.

We didn't have money for extra snacks. It was just needs to a main.

Zane's like, I'll take this super as these bitches are on it.

It means to a means, sorry. The other way around. But yeah, exactly. It was always an awkward conversation, but yeah, I didn't mind it. I respect it. I really do.

You got to be that for your sisters. Okay. To people, obviously, that weren't there in your childhood, how would you describe your personality as a kid?

My personality as a kid, I think I was a bit of a cheeky chapy. Yeah, I'm used to mischievous, used to get into all kinds of just childish stuff, like climbing in places I shouldn't have been and falling out of trees and smashing windows and stupid things. With a football. Accidentally, of course.

Right. For sure. So you were getting in trouble a little bit.

Just like childish stuff. Nothing too serious. Yeah.

Like climbing trees.

Exactly. Exciting shit.

Okay. So you were just doing your thing as a kid. But I also think the way that you're describing the environment that you grew up, was there a way that you could have gone down the wrong path easily because of that environment? It was easy to get wrapped up in the wrong crowd?

Oh, definitely. I think there was always an opportunity to go and do something that would have got you in serious trouble. I was really lucky in the sense that my mother and father were super protective of that environment. My dad was always aware of the things that were out there, and he always explained stuff to me from a young age and kept me away from that, if I'm being honest. And that's where I developed into being a person that likes to be by myself and in my room, singing, recording, writing. I got into poetry and things like that because I was in my room a lot. And I didn't like to be in them environments. It was just a bit too much. I was always a bit more of a reserved guy, a bit artistic, wanted to do my own thing. I didn't really want to be in that. So my parents did a good job of keeping me away from it, I think.

Did you get along with kids in school Were you the cool kid? Were you bullied? What was the vibe?

Yeah, I think I got on with pretty much everyone, but I was the type of person who only had two, three close friends. I didn't have a big group. I knew people, people knew of me. I don't think I was the cool kid, but I wasn't bullied either. If people knew me, they were friendly with me.

I feel like a lot of kids, we always have that memory. Maybe it's financial, maybe it's something with the parents or the siblings or extended family, of a childhood memory that you remember your family just being stressed or going throughing something difficult. If you could remember a childhood memory that you remember just being stressed about something in your life?

Looking back at childhood stresses, I feel like a lot of them were so finicky that it's just probably just some teenage shit. You know what I mean? It wasn't anything important. So I don't really look back at things like that in my personality, the way I am. I've never really looked back and been like, Oh, yeah, this is one thing that was a stressful thing. I think life is interesting like that. I think it depends on what you're going through at that time and how you feel, and then you can reflect on it at a different point and feel completely differently about it.

It's so interesting. I have a lot of respect even for you answering it like that, because I know that you've been open about at one point your family being on food stamps. I feel like a lot of people would sit here and that may have been the answer, right? Yeah. That would have been like, well, fuck. I didn't know where my next meal was. And you're like, oh, maybe it was childish shit. No big deal. And it's like, that's interesting if you- Yeah.

No. And obviously, there were some serious things like that for sure, too. But I don't look back at it in terms of a negative light. It all helped to shape and mold who I am and make me grateful for the things that I have now.

Yeah. So we are here because you can sing. When did you first realize you were passionate about singing and you could sing?

I think I was about 11, 12. I'd sing a little bit before. I'd done a bit in school choir and stuff. Funny story, I actually fancied these three girls that were in choir, and they were triplets. And that's why I just was like, I'm going to be in choir just so I can hang around these girls. And then it It developed from there. When I went into high school, I went to a performing arts college, specifically majored in sports and performing arts. And they were doing the school production that year for Greets and I auditioned and nobody could sing at all. In our whole school, and I went and did this singing audition, everyone was like, Whoa, you can sing. And then my music teacher recommended I get a couple of singing lessons and stuff. And then she said, I think you should go on X Factor. I think you've got a good chance. And it just went from there.

I love that the story started with, there were these three triplets, and it just felt right to join choir.

I was eight as well, by the way. It's just for the record.

So swaggy. You're like, I got to get in that class.

I need to just spend this time here.

Right. So your natural just boy interest ended up, you realized something that you had a true talent. From the triplets to X Factor, you made it. So it's so funny, too, because you say you wouldn't be where you are without your mom because you didn't want to get out of bed the morning that you had the X-Factor audition and your mom made you go. Why did you also not want to go initially?

I think it was just nerves. I built it up in my head and I was like, This is a massive thing. And I was like, I don't think I'm going to go today. My mom's like, You are going. You're going right now. You're going to go see what happens. So yeah, I definitely owe it to her for that, for sure.

Oh my God. And so did you practice? You were practicing for it.

Yeah, but I had no idea, no clue. They told us we had to have a backing track like a karaoke version. And I was so in experience at that time that I didn't even know what that was. So I was just planning on singing acapella. So I was just going to do it without anything. And it was so weird for me to adjust to sing in on a backing track. I was like, this is such a weird experience. I think even Simon looked at me a little bit weird, like when I did the acapella because everybody had backing tracks and stuff.

That probably made you stand out, though.

I don't know. It could have worked either way. Maybe it made me sound really bad, too.

Well, obviously not. Look where you're fucking sitting. Yeah, true. Do you remember what you sang?

Yeah, I do. Mario, Let Me Love You. The reason I said that is because I've seen that performance back a few times and cringed every time I watched it. Yeah. So, yeah. It's not my best vocal performance. There's a lot of nerves involved there for sure.

But clearly there was something in there, Zane.

There's some talent. Yeah, there's some potential.

Achapella and he just nails it. When you look back at that moment, obviously, is it surreal? If you even had to watch it back, does it even feel like a lifetime ago? Yeah, it does.

It feels like so much longer than it actually was because so much stuff has happened in that time. Yeah, it's very interesting, very surreal. I feel all them nerves when I watch it. I feel like I could give myself a hook and be like, It's okay, bro. Because literally, I'm holding onto the mic for dear life. Please, nobody hurt me. It's so good.

It's so good. So obviously then X Factor, everyone, Simon, everyone came to you guys and they had this idea to invent One Direction. And then I think people, I don't even know, did you even meet anyone before they put you guys together?

Yeah, we knew each other just from around because we were a similar age and stuff. So naturally, you speak to people who are a similar age to you around there and stuff. And we were at boot camp together. I met Harry on my audition day because we both auditioned in Manchester. And we were literally sat next to each other in the audition.

So it was like fucking meant to be.

He was sat right next to me. We spoke and I went in and did a producing audition round. And then he went in straight right after me. And we spoke a little bit there.

So you weren't complete strangers. That's good to know. Because I didn't know if they just threw you all together and then you were like, Hey, what's up?

They said it very well, obviously. You don't see all the behind the scenes and stuff. But you spend a lot of time with the participants.

Okay, got it. Once you started, obviously, One Direction and you joined One Direction. How quickly did your actual life change? Once you started, obviously, One Direction and you joined One Direction, how quickly did your actual life change? Was it overnight, immediately, immediate or was it a little bit gradual?

It was strange. The visual evidence of life changing, people being outside of the studio and stuff was like, When we were on the live shows, we started to get a fan base and an audience, and you could see that people were paying interest in us. So, yeah, from that point on, it was a bit crazy.

Were you even able to comprehend it?

Not really. I don't think I comprehensive it at all. I think it's just a rush. It was just fun. And then repetitive fun over and over again eventually is going take its toll. Then you look at it a certain way when you're in that and it feels overbearing. Now I look back at it like it was a rush. It was fun. It was something that was amazing. So of course, I wasn't going to understand it. It's not something I expected in my life, but it was definitely fun for sure.

Because it is so interesting. I think people forget you were 17 at the time.

Yeah, 17.

My brother lived in this house at 17 and was picking his nose and going to and trying to fucking get girls to pay attention to him, and you are all of a sudden overnight become one of the biggest stars in the world. Can you help us, commoners over here, Zane? Commoners. Commoners. Can you help us understand what skyrocketing to that level of Fame can do to you as an individual when you're by yourself at night, laying in bed, trying to understand what is happening to you in your life?

Yeah, you can definitely get into deep places of thought if you really reflect on it in that manner. To be honest with you, I don't think I was even intellectually capable to do that at that age. I think it took time for me to process them things. I think I've had to process it with an older mind and look at it backwards and be like, this was why this happened and this is what happened. And we took off at this point and this This interview made this happen and then this song made this happen and just decipher it as facts rather than in an emotional manner because emotion just seems to just blur things. So I try not to think about them things on that level. Like, oh, I'm super famous. I just make music. I love singing and people seem to have an interest in it.

Yeah, a little bit, just a little bit. No, I almost get what you're You have to black it out and just be present because if you stop to think about all of it, then it's all going to come.

Exactly. That's how I deal with it. I don't black it out so much, but I just don't overthink. It works for me that way, I think. Yeah.

You just almost have to stay present because it's like, what else are you going to do?

In the moment, yeah, just enjoy it. And then in 10 years time, you can look back and be like, this is what happened.

Now you can look at it in hindsight and be like-If you have 10 years time.

If you have that luxury.

Yeah, but you've had time probably now to be like, whoa, in your quiet moments now in life where you can actually sit and dissect things that at 17, 18 years old, again, like you said, I was just having fun. I was just going with it. Also, It's not like you were just on this solo tour, like you were a part of something. So that also probably affected of be a good team player, go with the flow, do what you got to do. Obviously, your guys' fans are insane. They're obsessed. They're still obsessed. They're everywhere. They love you guys. Can you share any memorable fan moments that you remember to this day that have stuck with you? Just anything that happened that you're like, damn.

I've probably said this a lot of times, but honestly, it was one of the craziest and most bizarre moments ever. I remember coming out of a studio once in Sweden when we were recording What makes you beautiful. This is before even we dropped our first single and there was a row of maybe five, six bins, trash cans outside of the studio. I came out and every single one of the trash cans opens and there's three people inside of each trash can. Wait, what? How did I not know that story? They tried to grab me and it was a very memorable moment. That was for sure. I think I had a mini heart attack.

Humans popped out from garbage cans and tried to grab you. It's like a fucking video game. It swallow you into the fucking-into the trash can. What?

Yeah, it was funny.

Oh, wow. Do you think that in any way-That's dedication, though, right?

To get into a trash can.

Zane, they were willing to get in the trash bucket for you. Okay? Motherfuckers, they are loyal. They are. Do you think that those moments, though, not that we don't love the fans, we're obsessed, but people being so obsessed with you, is there any lingering paranoia from people constantly staring at you and following you?

No. No, not really. I don't have paranoia in that sense.

That's good. You sleep well.

Yeah, I do. I sleep in Pennsylvania. Yeah, I know. It's raining. I can hear the crickets. It's amazing. There's no crazy people out there.

No one crazy in Pennsylvania. That's debatable. You're performing in front of massive crowds. And I know you're saying you were in the moment, but were you able to just easily get in front of all these people? Was there no fear or anxiety that came with standing in front of thousands and hundreds of thousands of people when you're on stage?

I think there was, but I don't think we had time for it. You have time to have anxiety or be nervous. You're just going to go do it, get on with it. I think we just got thrown into the deep end and we just had to swim. And I feel like we did a good job in terms of the keeping Keeping it together and making the music that we were meant to make. I think I got out at the right time. I think if it had done it any longer, it might have affected me a bit more. But I think we did the right amount.

I think it's interesting too, because when you look at bands or even just any brand that has multiple people attached to it, everyone loves to put archetypes with people. Like the Spice Girls, for example, perfect example. You have to label everyone. And so for a boy band, it would be like, The boy next door, the bad boy, the brooding one or the funny one. What persona do you think you played?

This is the make out that I was like the brooding serious one. But that wasn't necessarily my personality type. I think it's just a marketing scheme. You've got the Teletoobies, you got Spice Girls, you've got whatever. It's just a marketing scheme. Like, oh, this is this one. So I get it, but I don't think you can define an entire person to one personality trait. We're a little bit more complex than that. I don't know what my trait would have been if I'd have given myself one. It might have took a long time to come up with one. If I was going to do that. So I could see why they just said, Oh, yeah, you can be the mysterious one.

Yeah, it's interesting. I love the Teletubby reference. You're like, The Teletabbies, the Spice Girls, One Direction. I'm like, The fucking Teletabbies.

Yeah. I think Simon was behind the Teletabbies, too. Stop. Yeah, and the power agents.

It's so fucking crazy. It's all coming full circle.

It's all making sense. Fuck.

No, but it's interesting because I was going to ask. I agree. You had this brooding, mysterious personality, and that's why I'm excited to sit down with you today, because, again, those stereotypes that were put onto people, I'm curious if, first of all, who comes up with that? Marketing people, I guess. I'm guessing so. Yeah. It's not like the fans. It just happens.

Well, yeah. And Maybe some of the fans naturally say this, too. You know what I mean? From black pictures and things like that.

So you didn't agree with it, but do you think you leaned into it more?

I think I just had one face to pull. I was doing the Zoolander. That was it. I was only a young kid. I didn't know what else to do.

I get it. If anything, maybe it made it easier because you're like, this is just my lane. This is me.

Just stick with this. They won't ask me too many questions.

Do you think you're mysterious?

Not really. I just like to just chill. I like to be in the back a little bit. Yeah, I'm a bit more relaxed. I'm not trying to be in your face.

You're not trying to jump in front.

Yeah, exactly.

Okay, well, now you're solo, so you got to jump in front, Zane. That's it. Okay, we're going to get there. Take the reins. I love how you mentioned you got out at the right time. And I think that you leaving the band obviously shook the fucking world. And everyone was like, Zane, no, keep it together. But I think what, again, we forget is you're a human being, and you clearly had to take care of your mental health and do what was best for you. I know you've lightly talked about this, but just so we get a full circle moment, can you just take us back to that moment of actually sitting with yourself and knowing it was time to leave?

Yeah, I think I'd known for a minute. There was a lot of, look, I don't want to go into too much detail, but there was a lot of politics going on. Certain people were doing certain things. Certain people didn't want to sign contracts. So I knew something was happening. So I just got ahead of the curve. If I'm being honest with you, I was like, I'm just going to get out of here. I think this is done. And I just seen it. And I completely selfishly wanted to be the first person to go and make my own record. If I'm being completely honest with you, I was like, I'm going to jump the gun here for the first time. I'm a passive dude, but when it comes to my music and my business, I'm serious about it and I'm competitive. So I wanted to be the first to go and do my own thing. That was the reason. And then there was obviously underlying issues within our friendships, too. We'd been together every day for five years and we got sick of each other, if I'm being completely honest. We were close. We done crazy things with each other that nobody else in the world will ever understand or have them experiences that we've shared with each other.

And I look back on it now in a much fonder light than I would have as I just left. There were We had great experiences, had great times with them. But yeah, we just run our course.

I love that you're saying that, too, because I think people can relate to that. If you're with the same people 24/7, no shit. And I think I can imagine as you guys were younger, Everyone was so idealizing this band that you couldn't say that back in the day of like, Yeah, we got fucking sick of each other. It was time to do our own things. And I think that's so okay. But because there was this obsession, obviously, I get it. There's the nostalgia.

For sure, yeah. It's an idea, isn't it? When you watch Friends. You don't want Joey cutting off Chandly. You know what I mean? You want these people to be best friends. It's like it's an idea.

Yeah. You want them to stay together forever. But I also think it's so healthy because imagine if you hadn't ended it, then you really would have fucking hate each other and being able to go on your own way. Also, someone always has to be the first one to leave. Exactly. And maybe it's the best thing for it. But in the time, I can imagine there's hurt feelings. Were you afraid of what the world was going to think of you when you made that decision?

I don't think I was afraid. No. The first thing I wanted to do was call my mom, as cheesy as that sounds. I just wanted to call her and be like, Is it okay if I come home? Is this good? And she was like, Yeah. So as soon as she said that, I was like, Yeah, I'm good. I'm done. I'm over this. I didn't really care about what anybody else thought. That's the type of person I am. We were talking about earlier, I tried to close them opinions off. I'm not really the type of person who defines myself on other people's opinions of myself. If people know me and know me well, they know who I am. And I spend that time on them people and make sure that they're looked after and they get that time with me rather than the people that I'm never necessarily even going to see or have a conversation with, especially if it's a negative remark. Positive remarks are always nice. I don't really pay attention to either of them, if I'm being completely honest with you. Just don't let it get in my head.

I think that's so smart because I think I think social media, even if you're not famous, everyone is feeding themselves and their worth by what other people are saying about them. And it's like, you good with your family? And I don't mean family by blood.

You may not be good with- Just, yeah. People that you have around you. Yeah. Your circle. Yeah. And as long as they're good, then that's all that matters to me.

Wait, but did you not tell your mom you were doing it?

I did not tell my mom I was leaving? Yeah. No, it was like, spur the moment. I had not told her beforehand. Like, oh, I'm thinking of leaving. I just called her on that day that I was leaving and said, I'm coming home. Is it okay if you still got a bed for me? She was like, yeah. She was like, Can't come back. My dad wasn't so cool about it. He was like, no, you got to stay with Simon. I was going to stay. You're right. Don't come home. Stay there. But my mom was like, Yeah, you can come home. Please, son, come home. Oh, my God.

That's actually really cute that the first person is like, Mom, do you have a bed for me? She's like, Let's go. Because didn't you also buy your mom One of the first things you did with your success is you bought her a home. How cool was that to be able to buy your mom something after everything she's done? It's amazing.

It's a great feeling.

Wild. Okay, so you leave the van. And take me to when you're laying in your mom's home, you're in bed. What were those next couple of weeks for you, mentally and emotionally?

It was interesting. I was just trying to get stuff together. I wanted to get a plan of action. You know what I mean? So I was on a bit of a mission. I wasn't there too long. I went home for a little bit, and then I went back to London and started working and stuff.

That must have been so stressful, too, because I feel like... I guess we see it in various different forms, but if you make a jump, even if someone quits their job, they're like, I need to prove to myself and other people that I now can do it. And so did you put pressure on yourself when obviously you came out being solo? Were you fucking nervous?

Yeah, for sure. It's a very different experience standing on stage by yourself, too. It's a whole different workload as well, singing three and a half minutes of a song completely by yourself. When you got a song divvied between five people, you're singing a little bit of a verse, maybe some adlibs. I prefer the workload, I'm going to be honest.

You're taking a nap in the back. You're just like, thing, it's your part.

You're like, Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Nice one. But I just had to make an adjustment. I started practicing a lot more, singing a lot more, and just making I could sing for three minutes. Right.

You had to be like, I need to get back to my Let me love you days where I'm like, back on X Factor. It's all about me. It's just me. I'm curious, and I don't know because I know you were saying, and I totally respect it, of like, you were just in this phase of going, going, going, and you didn't have time to stop. But when you did go solo and you left, did you have to take any moment to be like, who the fuck am I independent of now not being a part of something that I was identified as in media?

Yeah, definitely. I think that's why I've took the time I have to not even necessarily do interviews and do too much press exposure, because I feel like we were so over exposed in the band. It takes a bit of time for you naturally to progress as a human and give something else that is interesting that you have to say. You don't want to be sat there just saying the same shit on repeat, you know what I mean? Day in, day out. I think this should be a good healthy break in between. And that was my approach to it for sure. So I feel like in terms of figuring out what your identity is as an artist, the only way you're going to do that is by living. You can't just be on the conveyor belt and expect to have any experience that's new that you're going to give people.

I love that, too, because I feel like people, especially creators, there's such a stress about taking a break. And it doesn't mean you're actually taking a break.

You could be working your ass off. Still working, yeah.

But popping out of the scene.

Not doing it in the spotlight.

Yeah. And were you able to just not have the anxiety about it? Because you're like, I know I'm coming back, but it's like, I got to just be good on my own shit and not be fulfilling the tabloids in everyone else. How am I on my own right now?

Exactly. Yeah. That was all the thought behind it for sure.

So you start doing your own solo music. And I remember when you came out, Pillow Talk, all the good stuff, you popped off. And it's really dope to see you coming out with your own sound and creative, and it's you. And that's exciting to know you are producing this, and it's not obviously a no shade to One Direction, but you're one of five. You can't really have a full say in shit. Now this is you. When you started on your solo career, was there anything that you really wanted to make sure that you could bring to life that maybe you weren't able to when you were in a band?

Creatively. Creatively, I just wanted to talk about things that were a bit more real, like an authentic to situations I was going through in my life. Obviously, certain things that we talk about in the band was always very clean, just glazing over the top, not really any depth or any stories to what's going on. And that was always a big thing for me. Obviously, I understand, again, from a marketing scheme that the audience and the fan base we were appealing to at that point was that vibe. So It was never going to work for that audience. But yeah, I just wanted to show people that had a bit more depth. Yeah.

I get that because even earlier you said you like to write poetry. And I'm like, I can only imagine how much your writing process is therapeutic and you get to infuse parts of yourself and your identity, whereas that just wasn't in the past, which it shouldn't have been. It was a band, it was great, whatever. But now you can actually artistically exercise that part of yourself, which must be really fun.

I think it's difficult for people to write songs even from one perspective. There was five of us in the room when we used to write sometimes, and it was so hard to get us all to have the same viewpoint and want to talk about the same thing. So in that sense, from a creative point, it is a lot more freeing for me. I can fully get to grips with every part of it, the melody, the story, the production, the emotion, the feeling that I'm trying to convey in each song. So in that sense, it's super It's cool because I think we're getting to know you a little bit better now that you are doing solo music.

But do you think that the world even slightly knows Zane yet?

I don't know. I try to move in a certain way that hopefully I will still have some juice. I don't want to give everything all it will go. So if they don't know everything yet, that's okay. But hopefully they get to know me a bit better in this interview. See, maybe- They get to see my thought patterns.

Still a little mysterious saying.

I'm trying. I'm trying to be an open book. We like it.

Okay, how about this? Describe yourself in three words.

Describe myself in three words? Well, I'm definitely not going to use mysterious as one of them. I would say I'm a chill, funny, loving guy.

All the girls watching this are like, so nice. That's so nice. What's your favorite thing about yourself?

I don't know. I think I like the fact that I'm pretty witty. I'm pretty smart. And I enjoy that about myself, I think.

You're good company with yourself.

Yeah. I enjoy that. I'm pretty smart. I have a little laugh to myself about that.

What's your least favorite thing about yourself?

I'm a bit sensitive sometimes. Not in a bad way. I can take things the wrong way sometimes. I'm definitely working on that.

Give me an example.

I just tend to If somebody says something to me, I'll take it the wrong way. If I really care about their opinion, what they're saying to me. Got it.

Then you'll get upset. I think that's good, though. That means you care, right?

Yeah. Like I said, with the people that are close to me.

Do you think you at times can be too caring in moments that you need to learn to- I'm learning to be a bit more tame of it.

Yeah, for sure.

Well, boundaries.

No, not boundaries. I'm just learning not to get in my head about certain things across the board. I exercise that well in terms of dealing with the media and things like that, but I don't necessarily do that too well in my personal life. Sometimes I take things out.

That's good, though. Again, it does mean you care. But then you're like, Yeah, but then I'm over here dying inside. I got to muster up the courage to be like- Then I go write a song.

Yeah.

Put that into a song, okay? Give us one that's really sad so we can cry.

I've got a few. I've got a few. Oh, really? A few really sad ones.

See, this is what we need. We need some criers.

We got some cry moments.

What do you think is the biggest misunderstanding about you?

That I'm super serious. I'm super stern and serious all the time, when I'm not. I'm just chill. I know that a lot of people have high energy personalities, and it's just not the way I am. You know what I'm saying? I'm just a bit more relaxed about things.

It's actually nice to be in person with you because I could see in media, it could come off, I get it like serious. You're literally just chilling. You're relaxed.

I'm just relaxed.

You're cozy in your sweater. There's thunder, there's rain.

We're just relaxed. Pennsylvania. I didn't even have to drive too far, came to your mom's house.

Let's talk about anxiety. I know that you have lightly talked about it in times, and I just want to talk to you about how anxiety affects your life. What has it done in terms of playing a part in your personal life and your career? Just talk to me about what you're comfortable with.

Yeah. So I think we touched on it a bit I really heard when we're talking about the nature of our job, what we were doing in the band and the situation being on stage in front of thousands of people. I think it's a really normal place to experience anxiety. You're going to go and perform in front of a lot of different people that you don't know who they are. It's not a natural thing to do in terms of everyday life. You don't just talk to thousands of people. So it was something that I had to learn to adjust. Anxiety, for me, I've learned is a feeling that now has a word. And I feel like for generations, human beings have felt it and not really even been able to put their finger on what it is. But we overcome it. And certain things in life can change your perspective them things. And I think for me, since I've had my daughter and since she was born, the main thing in my mind is trying to be a good example to her in terms of I can do things and I can achieve things and I can overcome things and you can do this, too.

And to let things like a feeling stop you from doing that after having a child feels like a really small thing. I feel like I had to step up as as a man or just as a person and be this example to her that doesn't succumb to these feelings. That's why I'm even doing this interview. I used to get a lot of anxiety around having a conversation like this, just in this environment. And I want her to be able to look at me and be like, yo, my dad's doing this. He's the man. He's cool. He is cool. He's a cool guy. So that's helped me a lot for sure.

That is so fucking cool. Obviously, my mom's a psychologist, so I grew up in... I think mental health was not a conversation for most families, and hopefully it will be. But I've watched my mom talk to so many people and talk them through how to get over a panic attack, how to get over anxiety, how to not get over it, but manage it, live with it, be okay to go about your everyday life. I think sometimes if you don't have anxiety, people look at people with anxiety like, just get the fuck over it. And I think it shows up in everyone's lives in such different ways.

I don't think that's the way you can look at it. I think everybody's situation is individual. I think it takes an individual experience then to happen for somebody to overcome that, too. Totally.

If you think about the first time you can recall in your life experiencing anxiety, did you experience anxiety prior to Fame? For sure. Take me to a moment in your life where you remember being like, wow, I didn't know that was anxiety, but now I do.

I enjoyed it. That was the thing. I enjoyed being in that feeling. And then got to a certain point, I think, where it just became too much. It just was weighing on me, that feeling of anticipation and then getting the adrenaline and then the after-feeling of that. As a young kid, I loved it. I loved being on stage and I loved performing. It was a free space for me to go and be a character because I was playing a were all in some little school performance. It was nothing serious. When it became a thing that had a lot of weight behind it in terms of people watching and stuff, then you're going to have natural feelings of anxiety. Yeah.

People staring at you, judging you, writing about you, following you, taking pictures of you. That's a lot. Can you share with us, in the heyday of paparazzi and insanity, what would be something that would really trigger your anxiety in those days?

Just the idea of not being able to just do normal things, to just go outside and walk out onto the street. Because where we lived, it was a bit crazy. And there's just people always there waiting to take a photo and stuff. And obviously thinking about having a child and raising her in that environment, it was just very claustrophobic for me. I didn't want her to have to be exposed to that because she didn't choose it. It was a choice that I made. So I was like, we need to get out of here so that she can have some chance of a normal childhood where there's not cameras flashing in her face constantly.

Let's talk about you being a father because it's really cool to see you talk about anxiety, which, again, I have so much respect for even you being able to talk about it, because I know it's like you're not that public about your life, and that's something that you live with every day. And to say having a child has helped you overcome something that is in your day to day, that's pretty debilitating in moments. Yeah, but you being famous and having a child, deciding to move here, I can imagine you're trying to shield her from this life that you also are still trying to figure out. Is it a lot?

I feel like there's There's a healthy way to do it. I'm not necessarily trying to shield her from it because she's going to know. She's going to get to a certain point. She's going to have a certain level of awareness. She doesn't know what's going on. I'm just trying to give her an option. So it's like a choice for her. If she wants to be away from it, she can be out here because I am a famous person and I get sanctuary here. You know what I'm saying? I feel like He's going to have a lot of options and whatever she wants to do in her life, obviously, I'll support her for sure.

Okay. How has becoming a dad shifted your priorities in life?

The crazy thing is, obviously, I have a 50 % of the time. So that time I have with her is so important because I feel like she's growing up so fast. So when I'm with her, I don't work at all. I just spend a The whole day with her doing the things that she wants to do, like painting, Playdough, this, that, go to the park, go to the theme park, go to the zoo. We just have fun. I feel like I've rekindled my own childhood through her. You know what I'm saying? I feel like we get to a certain point in adult life where everything's vague and gray and boring. And she's brought that color back for me, for sure. Yeah.

What is a dad quality that you've proudly taken on that makes you laugh a little when you think about it of like, Oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm doing this.

I keep being told I'm telling dad jokes and I'm leaning into it. I'm just like, It's okay. It's cool. I'm using Christmas cracker jokes and stuff, and it's really funny. People just look at me like I'm a weirder. I'm like, Yeah, I'm a dad now. I'm allowed to tell these jokes. You have to give me a pass.

Wow, Zane. I didn't expect that. I'm not going to lie.

I love a dad joke.

You're full It's a whole dad vibe.

That's it, yeah. I'm going fully. I love it.

You're like, I'm fully leaning in. There is no stopping me. Okay, well, you haven't cracked one here. So if you want to, you can always give us your best.

But when it feels-We'll say that for another time.

Okay. What is your favorite thing to do with your daughter?

My favorite thing to do with her is she shows a lot of signs of musical intelligence already. So I just love playing instruments with and singing with her. Like I'll sing and she sings along and she can do good harmonies and stuff already. And she's only two and a half. And she harmonizes with me well and finishes notes and she can hold them for a long time. I'm like, you might have a bit of ability, you.

I'm picturing the two of you playing with Playdough and you start singing and then your daughter starts singing.

She can hit these high notes, like falsett. Yeah, it's crazy. I'm like, yo.

Like, whoa, you're Good.

I couldn't do this. I didn't speak till I was three. How much do you sing? Wow. She remembers full lyrics to songs as well. Every word is mad.

Wow. We got a superstar in our hands. Okay. It's interesting to hear you say you're singing to her, which I would have loved if my dad could have sang, he can't. What are you singing to her? And what are her favorite songs that you sing?

She loves Disney movies, so we sing a lot of Disney songs together. We sing You've got a friend in me and stuff. She's really cute.

Honestly, that's really cute thinking about you guys singing that. What qualities of yourself, aside from having that musical aspect, more like personality, what qualities do you see from yourself and your daughter?

I think she's funny. She's a bit of a cheeky one day. She likes to have a bit of a joke and stuff and laugh a lot. She's chilled, though, but she loves reading as well, which is something I think she definitely took from me. She just has an affinity for words. She remembers everything.

Has becoming a parent changed your relationship with your parents?

Definitely. Yeah. In a respect way. You just have so much respect for the things that they've put aside for you. When you realize all the sacrifices that you make as a parent, just to be there and be present with your child, you can't have nothing but respect for that, for sure.

I know you said, obviously, you have for 50% of the time, you want to make the most of these moments. What's something that you guys have done together recently that made you so happy? You had such a great time.

We went to Nickelodian in New Jersey. Oh my God, it's so fun. It was just really good. I enjoyed it. I know it's super childish, but I had a lot of fun. I think I had more fun than that. It was good.

That is so good. How is co-parenting going?

Co-parenting is It's good. We have a really good relationship for Kai. She's the main importance. So it's going well. I think.

Zane's like, From me.

From me, yeah.

Okay, so I want to ask you if I can ask one question just about as delicately as I can go about it. I feel I feel like I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't ask about the 2021 incident. I know you can't really speak on it. I think obviously, as a man, there was a lot out there said about you, and you basically took the high road and didn't say anything. And you put out that blanket statement of just like, I want to respect my daughter and not say anything. Exactly. Yeah. And I can imagine how difficult it is, almost a culmination of everything we're talking about today of how How do you balance when something is out there about you, about your character that people are reading and speculating and saying things about you? And how do you decide when to speak up and when to be silent and chill on it and not really go there?

Yeah. So for me, we were talking about earlier, I don't tend to get involved when people say things online, whether it's got something to do with me or whether it doesn't. Because for me, my most valuable thing that I have in life is time. And that takes so much time in a toxic environment to explain yourself to people and justify this. So I just keep to myself. I knew what the situation was. I knew what happened. And the people involved knew what happened, too. And that's all I really cared about. If anybody of a same mind would look at the situation, I believe that you could respect that. I just didn't want to bring attention to anything. I just wasn't trying to get into a negative back and forth with her, any narrative online where my daughter was going to look back and read that and be able to read into it. And it would just be something that there was no point. I believe I dealt with it in the best way, in an amicable, respectful way. And that's all that needs to be said. Yeah, I feel like it's a lot of negativity.

I can only imagine, first of all, no fucking family is perfect. And so to be on the stage that you guys are on.

And like Like I said, your family issues. If something happens in the family, I'd rather keep that between the family. We don't need a whole audience of people and opinions because it's hard enough to manage between two.

I more so just also wanted to give you the chance because I think you obviously handled so amicably. I also think in doing my job, this is a podcast where I'm trying to support women, right? And reading headlines, I wanted to hear from you, obviously, because hearing you even today, I don't know if... I'm just going to say what it is. You have said you have 50 % custody. And so anything that we've all read online, well, if that was true, then that would have affected that. So I think it's important to just say me doing my job. I just wanted to clarify, it's not unless you can correct me, you don't have to have people with you while you're with your daughter and visitation rights. You have custody of your child. So I think it's just important to say because people are reading this shit being like, oh, you know what I mean?

For sure. Yeah. I'm super full on. Yeah. Like hands on with my child. Every chance I can be. If I could get 60 %, I would have it. Okay.

Let's talk about your music. You're coming back. We're getting a song. Tell me what inspired the song. What can we expect?

Give it to us. Yeah. So I'm working. Well, I've been working on my record for a minute, and I have a single for the summer coming out called Love Like This. That's like a standalone song. Just a summer jam. It's a good vibe. Yeah, it just feels like summer. That's what I think we need. We do need a good summer.

We just need a bop. Someone asked me recently, Oh, what's the song of summer? And I actually said, you know what? I'm interviewing someone and I know they have a single coming out and I have a feeling that could be the song of summer. Are you nervous to go on stage alone?

I was, yeah. When I first started performing by myself, I was nervous and I'm still nervous now because it's been a few years that I've been on stage, but I have this energy, too. I feel like I have something to give and I want to get on stage and be there, again, to feel that. That's the one thing I can say. My fan base has always been supportive in that manner. They're always just like, we're here, we've got you. When you're ready, we've got you. We're going to come and listen to your tunes. So yeah, now I got to be super thankful for that. And I'm super grateful And I feel that love for sure. So I'm ready to prove these people right.

Can we expect any music inspired by your daughter on your records?

Yeah, definitely. I'm doing a record that I've I don't think people are really going to expect. It's a different sound for me, and it's got some more narrative going on, like real life experiences and stuff. So, yeah, my daughter's mentioning there a couple of times.

I think that's going to be so fucking dope to actually hear from you in long form, essentially, because an album is in long form. We're going to get to know you more, which is exciting, again, because Mr. Misterius over there, we're still trying to understand things. Okay, what is something that you want your fans to take away from this interview?

I'd like my fans to feel like they got to know me a bit because you keep saying I'm Mr. Misterius. Keep it open. I do appreciate. Yeah. No. So I'm hoping they got to know me a little bit and they feel like they've seen me in court with me a bit and they're going to see me a lot more. I want them to know that across the board, I've had a full mental rehaul and in the best way, thanks to my child and being able to see things in a different light. And I'm going to be a lot more present and hopefully people are going to see me a lot more. I love it.

Zane, thank you so much for coming on Call Her Daddy. This was truly a pleasure.

Thank you for having me.