Zayn Malik discussed why he has to ‘continually go against the grain’ as he provided a rare insight into his life with GQ Spain and India, marking his first interview since becoming a parent.
The singer, 28, who welcomed daughter Khai in September with his partner Gigi Hadid, reflected on his latest album, Nobody is Listening, in addition to his relationship with his fans and his quest for creative freedom.
He said: ‘It really is not easy to have some form of creative freedom or control.
Open: Zayn Malik discussed why he has to ‘continually go against the grain’ as he provided a rare insight into his life with GQ Spain and India, marking his first interview since becoming a parent
‘The truth is that I have to continually go against the grain when people tell me to do things a certain way, but my stubbornness and my willingness to want to do things differently help me get through it.’
Speaking on his connection with his supporters, the former One Direction singer added: ‘I think the key when you talk to people is that you don’t generalize, you don’t say this person is a “fan” or this person is “this or that”, you just talk to everyone like normal people, people like you.
‘My relationship with people is good, I like to talk to everyone equally, I don’t want to reduce anyone to just one thing. We are all people.’
Honest: The singer, 28, who welcomed daughter Khai in September with his partner Gigi Hadid, reflected on his latest album, Nobody is Listening, in addition to his relationship with his fans and his quest for creative freedom
Zayn released his third solo studio album titled Nobody Is Listening on January 15th and described it as his ‘most personal project to date,’ to Entertainment Daily
Explaining his reasoning behind the name, he continued to GQ: ‘I feel like, in general, no one is listening at the moment.
‘With everything going on, and in a world of unnecessarily overexposed opinions, with people yelling at each other to see who makes the most noise, I feel like no one is being heard. People love to talk, but nobody likes to listen.’
New project: Zayn released his third solo studio album titled Nobody Is Listening on January 15th and described it as his ‘most personal project to date,’ to Entertainment Daily
According to Zayn, he feels the pandemic has affected everyone’s mental wellbeing including his own.
Tell-all: Read the full interview in GQ Spain from March 18th or available on newsstands in India from April 5th
He said: ‘I think the quarantine has affected me in the same way as everyone else.
‘I am not a person that spends too much time outside home or outdoors and I like to have my own space, so that is the only advantage, other than that now it is also driving me crazy.’
Zayn welcomed his first child in September last year with his partner and model Gigi, 25, whom he’s been dating since 2015.
He recently got Khai’s moniker inked on his wrist in Arabic to honour her arrival.
The former One Direction star has numerous tattoos including his girlfriend’s eyes in the centre of the chest.
While he usually remains tight-lipped regarding his family, the father-of-one gave a rare glimpse into his home life.
‘I watch a lot of Bollywood movies,’ Zayn said. ‘And I have many favourites. I love all the classics, I started showing them to my girl now too, and she watches them with me.’
Read the full interview in GQ Spain from March 18th or available on newsstands in India from April 5th
Family: He welcomed his first child in September last year with his partner and supermodel Gigi, 25, whom he’s been dating since 2015
Body art: The star recently got Khai’s moniker inked on his wrist in Arabic to honour her arrival, Zayn has numerous tattoos including his girlfriend’s eyes in the centre of the chest