In the late ’90s and early ’00s, the boy band craze reached new heights when Orlando-based groups Backstreet Boys and N’Sync dominated the music scene. And with the emergence of British boy bands the Wanted and One Direction, boy band mania is at an all-time high once again.

Niall Horan and Zayn Malik sat down with Mix 105.1/Orlando for a (somewhat) serious look at the rivalry between successful boy bands.

“I think that tends to happen,” said Malik. “I think it’s because we’re both boy bands, [the media] want that healthy rivalry or competition.”

But is there actually any beef going on with One Direction and the guys of the Wanted? Malik says, “There’s definitely not any ‘beef’ there,” using air quotes.

Referring to Horan’s reputed love for anything chicken, we suggested that since there was no beef, could there possibly be chicken? “There might be chicken there,” both guys jokingly agreed.

“No, it’s just like, people just think [that] because we’re both a similar act, five boys in a group,” Malik explained, with Horan adding that the two groups hadn’t actually seen each other in ages.

“They’re doing their thing, we’re doing our thing, we think we’re really different to them,” Malik continued. “Our music’s completely different.”

-CJ Robinson, Mix 105.1/Orlando