'I was frustrated with the band': Zayn Malik throws shade at One Direction as he adds the group lacked 'authenticity' in new interview
He hasn't been shy with his opinions since quitting One Direction in March last year.
And Zayn Malik got outspoken again as he admitted he struggled to speak during interviews due to his louder bandmates and became 'frustrated' with the group's sound.
The 23-year-old told Complex magazine: 'It was about denying the authenticity of who I was, and what I enjoyed about music, and why I got into it.'
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Smouldering: Zayn Malik revealed there was always something 'underlying' with his discontent about being in One Direction in a new interview with Complex magazine
'That was something that was always underlying, and ended up as the main factor of me leaving in the end,' the Pillow Talk singer revealed in the April/May issue.
'That was always there. It was one of the things that wasn't going to go away, so I had to go away.
'I was frustrated with the band.'Â
The Bradford-born star also added that he became frustrated with not having much of a voice in the group, which also included Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles.
Savage: Zayn admitted he 'was frustrated with the band' - he became part of the five-piece back on X Factor UK in 2010, alongside (L-R) Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles
He said that in an interview situation his bandmates would answer before him and were often louder than him.
'It's nice to have the chance to speak,' he confessed, without naming names. 'Now I get to talk about what I'm passionate about.'
In the Complex interview, of which Zayn is the cover star, the singer also opened up about doing his best to maintain a normal relationship with Gigi Hadid away from the spotlight.
Giggling: Along with his interview, the 23-year-old posed for a photo shoot, and was joined by a Gigi lookalike
He said: 'I try to keep the two very separate. I try to, as much as I can. But there's only so much you can do.
'I'm learning to deal with it. It's just one of those things now, in the background. I just leave it as a bit of a noise in the background.'
And Zayn also insists that the hot young couple weren't trying to put on a show while shooting his racy music video for Pillow Talk.
'We were just messing around,' he said. 'It wasn't even, like, part of the shoot. You know when they say, 'action?' They didn't do that. It was just rolling.'
'It was about denying the authenticity of who I was': Zayn graces the cover of Complex, in which he also discussed leaving One Direction
'I try to keep the two very separate': Zayn Malik says he is doing his best to maintain a normal relationship with Gigi Hadid (pcitured together in January) away from the spotlight in the April/May issue of Complex magazine
And this isn't the first time the now solo singer has spoken candidly about his unhappiness in the band.
Earlier this year Zayn, who found fame on the X Factor in 2010 when he, Niall, Harry, Liam and Louis formed One Direction, admitted he had 'never wanted to be in the band'.
In a chat with Zane Lowe for Apple Music's Beats 1Radio, he said: 'I just gave it a go because it was there at the time. I think I kinda always wanted to go. From the first year, I never really wanted to be there in the band.
'When I realised the direction that we were going in, mind the pun, with the music, I instantly realised it wasn't for me. How do you write a song from five people's perspective?'
He added: 'I think the boys knew that in terms of the music, that wasn't my cup of tea. When I was leaving the band, they didn't want me to leave. But I'd already made up my mind at that point.'Â
New beginnings: The chart-topper (pictured in January) left fans heartbroken when he sensationally announced he was quitting the five-piece group - the richest boyband in music history - in March 2015
The chart-topper left fans around the globe heartbroken when he sensationally announced he was quitting the five-piece band - the richest boyband in music history - in March 2015.Â
In a statement released to MailOnline at the time, the singer said: 'My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined.
'But, after five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band. I'd like to apologise to the fans if I've let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart.'
He continued: 'I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22 year old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight.'
Within minutes of the news being announced, the star's name was trending on Twitter as the heartthrob's fans mourned their pop idol's departure.
Reactions ranged from heartbroken, to compassionate to angry, but the overriding emotion was devastation.
One fan wrote, 'zayn please @zaynmalik i cant stop crying', while another said, 'Sitting in my room crying over zayn malik cant believe it my favourite person ever #zaynleavesonedirection #saddestimeever @zaynmalik'.Â
Devastated: The model shared this photo over the weekend as she revealed her beloved cat Chub has died
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