Zayn Malik has ”struggled” to forge his identity as a solo artist.
The ‘Pillowtalk’ singer – who has yet to perform a major solo concert and previously axed planned shows due to anxiety – has been working in the recording studio with producer Rob Cavallo and their sessions have given him a new focus in knowing how he wants to present himself to his fans.
He said: ”It definitely helped identify in my own mind where I want to be as an entertainer. For a long time I’ve struggled with, ‘Where is Zayn as a performer?’
”I don’t want [my show] to be too eccentric or out there, because I’m not that kind of personality. I’m quite a reserved person, and I feel like [the vibe of that session] sort of fits me and what I want to do onstage.”
The former One Direction singer – who quit the group in March 2015 – admitted one of the reasons for his anxiety around performing was not having worked out how to do a solo show which felt natural, especially as he only had one solo LP to draw on.
He told the new issue of Billboard magazine: ”Like, there were a lot of upbeat dance [songs on the album], and I don’t dance, so it would have required a lot of extra dancers and stuff going on, and I don’t necessarily want to do that.”
Zayn is determined for everything he does to be authentic, but hopes people don’t think he’s ”arrogant”.
He said: ”I don’t do things that I wouldn’t buy into. I try to explain that to people and hope that they understand — it doesn’t come from a place of being arrogant or above anything.”
Meanwhile, the 24-year-old singer – who is in a relationship with Gigi Hadid – is interested in branching out into acting.
Asked if he wants to act, he said: ”I do, yeah. It would have to be a good script and something that was a bit different, like an art movie. Something people wouldn’t expect.”