We know that travelling to the US right now is a bit of a shit show, but Zayn Malik has now revealed that even during the early One Direction days he faced issues while travelling due to his ethnic background – and was once detained for three long hours upon arrival.
"The first time I came to America, I had three security checks before I got on the plane; first they said that I’d been randomly selected, and then they said it was something to do with my name, it was flagging something on their system…” he told The Evening Standard. “Then when I landed, it was like a movie. They kept me there for three hours, questioning me about all kinds of crazy stuff. I was 17, my first time in America, jet-lagged off the plane, confused. The same thing happened the next time too."
Air travel's stressful AF as it is, but we can’t imagine how annoying it’d be to be constantly targeted for extra security checks – especially if you’re constantly on the road on tour as the world’s biggest boy band. Yet Zayn's pretty damn chill on the whole sitch.
"I understand the level of caution that needs to be taken, especially now, in the light of certain events at home," he said, adding, "I don’t think there’s any benefit to getting angry — it’s something that comes with the climate. I understand why they’ve got to do it."
"I take a great sense of pride — and responsibility — in knowing that I am the first of my kind, from my background," he says. "I’m not currently practicing but I was raised in the Islamic faith, so it will always be with me, and I identify a lot with the culture. But I’m just me. I don’t want to be defined by my religion or my cultural background."
This article originally appeared on Cosmopolitan Australia