Zayn Malik has claimed he was ordered not to grow a beard while in One Direction.

The singer told the April/May issue of Complex that he also wasn't allowed to dye his hair.

The Brit said he eventually rebelled by growing facial hair.

When asked what restrictions he experienced in the pop group, Malik said:

"Mainly my beard, honestly. I wasn’t allowed to keep it. Eventually, when I got older, I rebelled against it, and decided to keep it anyway.

"That was just because I looked older than the rest of them. That’s one of the things that is now quite cool. I get to keep my beard. I also wanted to dye my hair when I was in the band, but I wasn’t allowed to."

The singer is due to release his debut solo album 'Mind of Mine' on March 25 - one year to the day after he left One Direction.

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Listen to some of Zayn's new tracks below: