Zayn Malik: 'I deliberately distanced myself from One Direction'

Zayn Malik has admitted that he "distanced himself" from One Direction before leaving the group.

The singer called time on the boyband in spring last year, with a solo career now set to explode in 2016.

Speaking in the January issue of L'Uomo Vogue, Malik said that he sought to remove himself from the group's creative process because it didn't feel right for him.

The Brit said: "To be honest, I mentally and physically distanced myself from what I was doing creatively because I didn’t want any part of it really.

"It didn’t feel like I was really being me."

Speaking about if he has kept in contact with the rest of One Direction, Malik said:

"The truth is I haven’t spoken to any of the boys at all really, I spoke to Liam a bit and that’s just the way it is.

"I did try to reach out to a couple of people and they didn’t get back to me, but then publicly, when they were asked questions about it, said that they’d spoken to me and that we were friends.

"But that’s not the case, I tried to reach out and be their friend but they haven’t even replied to any of my calls or texts."

The singer added there is "no competition" between himself and the remaining four members.

He concluded: "I didn’t leave for any reasons of animosity."

Watch Zayn Malik tease solo music below: