I interviewed my friend (who will be referred to as J), and we had a conversation about his poster of Zayn Malik from FADER Magazine that was released in December of 2015. We talked about a plethora of things, from J’s interest in One Direction, to fandom as community, to how social media has influenced our generation’s understanding of the world. The following excerpt of our interview is at a point where we had just begun discussing what Zayn means to J.

Interview

Ife: So, One Direction was the outlet you took to get into Zayn, would you say that you were more invested in Zayn after he left the band or more so when he was still in the band?

J: Oh, I don’t know. I mean, like, he was always my favorite in the band. (laughs) And then, when he left, I continued to be a big fan of him. I think it… hmm. I don’t know, I think maybe that because, like, he was on his own, I got into him more on his own, like, cuz it was more, like, solely, I don’t know. Cuz it was, like, solely him, without, like, the distractions of the other four. (laughs)

I: (laughs)

J: Not that… I love the other four, I’m a huge One Direction fan, but, like, I definitely – I – was able to appreciate him more when they were – I was able to appreciate all of them more when they were more separate, but Zayn, especially.

I: Cool, cool, cool.

J: Yeah.

I: What is it exactly that, that, like, made Zayn your favorite, or attracts you to him as, like, an artist?

J: Hm. I mean, I think obvi- , like, initially, like, I got into One Direction when I was like 13. (laughs) I don’t remember.

I: (laughs)

J: Or, like, 12, and I, like, remember being, like, in middle school, and being like, “damn, I’m straight, but even I can recognize that is an attractive man!” (raises eyebrows and makes gesture with hand swiping across neck) Like oh no, and then give it a year.

I: (laughs)

J: But also, like, I don’t know (laughs) I really like his – I think he has – his voice is amazing, and then especially after he left, I gained a lot of admiration for him. Like, this to decision to, like, um, to take care of your own mental health even in the midst of all this huge success, and like, even, at like, at the expense of, like, or at the risk of receiving backlash, and then making music, or like, making art and music that felt more your own, I really admired that decision. And I really liked the stuff that came out of it. I loved his first album, and his second album is also good, but like, not as good, but there’s some really – some (laughs) – some of my favorite songs of his are on that album, so yeah. I think – yeah – and I appreciate where his solo career is going.

Reflection

During this interview, I felt particularly relaxed and comfortable, and I think my participant did as well, which allowed us to fall into a flowing conversation. I believe that the level of openness my interlocutor had was due to the fact that we are friends, which reinforces the idea that establishing rapport with your participants and having a mutual feeling of trust is the best way to ensure that conversation flows. Trust gives the participant the agency to drive the conversation comfortably, allowing them to talk about what they find to be important. The idea of familiarity was brought up in my discussion with Esteban, with both of us seeing it as a strength to be able to demonstrate that an informant feels comfortable sharing as it allows them to reveal more personal aspects of themselves. It was also much easier to ask deeper questions and further the conversation when you enter having background information about your informant.

I was faced with the reality that interviews will not always be able to occur in a quiet, secure bubble away from interruptions. This was evidenced for me by my mother entering my room twice to talk to me while I was in the middle of interviewing and my interlocutor’s sister entering his room to talk to him. The issue of interruption could have also been exacerbated by the fact that this interview was conducted remotely. Though it is quite frustrating that there is inherently less control over the environment when you and your informant are in different places, interruptions can open avenues in the conversation that you would not expect and also help with creating a more relaxing atmosphere.

As I move forward with interviewing, I would like to take advantage of the fact that I tend to be more of a listener. I was worried that I had not said enough in my interview, but Esteban noted that a lack of interruptions on my part allowed my interviewee to flush out his thoughts in their entirety. I also think there is value to be had in paying attention to listening. Careful listening allowed me to think of questions that peeled back certain layers and I was more conscious of what I was contributing to the conversation when I wasn’t asking questions. I noticed that once I had stopped asking closed, yes/ no questions, it was easier for my friend to say more, and as he said more, I was able to come up with more open questions because what he said opened more avenues to explore. Overall, I think this experience removed some of the taboo that I have been associating with doing interviews, especially now that I know what I tend towards and how to help minimize these tendencies.