‘I don’t know if I’ve actually truly been in love at this point,’ Zayn added.

As for the resentment in the One Direction camp, he claimed the members’ maturity level at the time and their original solo ambitions had them in ‘competition’ with each other.

Zayn Malik made rare comments about his romance with Gigi Hadid and his time with One Direction in a new bombshell interview

Zayn admitting he’s never ‘truly been in love’ despite sharing a daughter with Gigi Hadid; Zayn and Gigi in 2016

Zayn said One Direction ‘resented each other’; (L to R) Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne of One Direction attend The BRIT Awards 2012

‘I think the thing was, we were so young. And when we were in the band, we didn’t have that level of compassion yet because we didn’t understand life yet. We just were young kids that just were thrown in the situation.’

Zayn shot to fame when he competed on The X Factor in 2010 and the judges put him into the boyband alongside Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson.

He left the group in March 2015, months before they went on indefinite hiatus.

‘Now, when I look back at it, I can look at it in a positive light and be like, all these guys came from similar backgrounds to me. They had nothing, they worked their [butts] off, they wanted to sing, they got the thrown in a band,’ he continued.

‘And you know, we resented each other to a certain degree because we were solo artists that were put in a band, and we should have never felt that way.

‘It should have never been a competition. It should have always been a camaraderie, and we should have always been there for each other and had each other’s backs.’

During his conversation on the Zach Sang Show, Zayn didn’t directly mention Gigi by name when discussing his new songs, but he delved into how the lyrics feature experiences from a past relationship.

‘The first song that I wrote on the record was Alienated, and it was towards the end of my relationship. Like when me and my ex were breaking up,’ he divulged.

The singer subtly referenced his relationship with Gigi while dissecting songs from his upcoming album Room Under the Stairs, saying he’s ‘moved on’ after welcoming their daughter Khai in September 2020

‘I don’t know if I’ve actually truly been in love at this point,’ Zayn added; Gigi at Monday’s Met Gala

Zayn and Gigi initially dated from 2015 to 2018. After a brief split, they reconciled, only to break up again in 2019, before reuniting early in 2020 and welcoming their daughter; seen in 2016

During his conversation on the Zach Sang Show, Zayn didn’t directly mention Gigi by name when discussing his new songs, but he delved into how the lyrics feature experiences from a past relationship; seen with daughter Khai in 2021

However, he did acknowledge that Khai was showing signs of developing musical talents, seemingly attributing them to Gigi

‘So there’s the heavy narrative of the kinds of things I was going through mentally in that situation and what I was thinking and how I was feeling.’

Zayn and Gigi initially dated from 2015 to 2018. After a brief split, they reconciled, only to break up again in 2019, before reuniting early in 2020 and welcoming their daughter Khai.

However, reported tension between Zayn and and Gigi’s mother, Yolanda Hadid, eventually led to their separation.

For a song called How It Feels, Zayn said he was ‘talking about not being able to explain to the person that you’re in love with why it is that you necessarily can’t be the best version of the partner you want to be. And that’s a really sad thing.’

However, he did acknowledge that Khai was showing signs of developing musical talents, seemingly attributing them to Gigi.

‘She can play a little bit. She’s not like expert level, but she’s got a bit of rhythm when she’s hitting the drums,’ he said of his 3-year-old girl.

‘I can tell that she definitely can develop that into something. Her mom was actually really good at Guitar Hero on the drums. I was like, “Maybe she got that from her mom.”

‘Cuz I was diabolical at it, and G used to beat me all the time. I used to be like, “What the f***. I’m the musician, and she beats me at this game.” But Khai‘s got that too.’

Now, Zayn feels he can reflect on both his past romance and his boy band career with greater compassion.

‘I think that’s just development over time. I mean, I’ve become a more compassionate, caring person for other people. And the thing I learned is I should have done that earlier,’ he explained.

He also revealed his biggest regret with One Direction.

As for the resentment in the One Direction camp, he claimed the members’ maturity level at the time and their original solo ambitions had them in ‘competition’ with each other; seen in 2010

‘The one thing I always feel bad about when I look back over my life is not enjoying the band enough. I feel like I just took things too seriously,’ he admitted; seen in January

‘The one thing I always feel bad about when I look back over my life is not enjoying the band enough. I feel like I just took things too seriously,’ he admitted.

‘I’m grateful that I’m able to be happier now. I can actually enjoy things and own my own perspective a bit. You know, like glass half full versus it being half empty. That’s my choice. I get to decide what that is.

‘I didn’t understand the importance of just trying to be happy. I had this teen angst thing going on, a chip on my shoulder where I’m like, “It’s really cool to just be moody all the time.”‘

Zayn’s latest album Room Under the Stairs drops on May 17.