When Zayn Malik left One Direction last year, his reasoning was because he wanted to "be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight."
As it happens, that time out of the spotlight didn't last very long, so it's logical to assume that that excuse was complete bunkum and that the idea of being in a boyband was simply eroding his street cred.
Now, the pop star has said as much in a new interview on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 radio show, which was also filmed for Apple Music.
He said:
"I think I always kind of wanted to go. From like the first year really, I never really wanted to be there in the band. I just gave it a go because it was there at the time and then when I realized the direction we were going in with the music, I instantly realized it wasn't for me because I realized I couldn't put any input in; I couldn't give my opinion on this or that because it didn't fit the grain of what we were as a band or what we represented. So that's when it became frustrating for me, that's when I had to be like, I've got to start thinking about myself."
He also spoke about how he struggled with the predictable nature of being in a boyband and their planned career trajectory, and how the pop music was never his 'cup of tea.'
The multimillionaire pop star may have pulled out of his appearance on Graham Norton's show on Friday - no doubt because he wouldn't have the faintest idea how to handle the good-natured ribbing that would inevitably come his way - but watch him talking to Lowe below:
