The 23-year-old "Pillowtalk" hitmaker felt it was the right decision to depart the chart-topping boy band in March last year, reported Female First.
"I just knew it was my time. I knew I wanted to do something different and start expressing the way I felt about certain things...," he said.
"I know that musicians are seen as one-sided people a lot of the time. But we do have other elements to us as well. I didn't feel good. Do you know what I mean? And if you don't feel good... You need to be able to express what it is that you are. I'm free at last," Malik said.
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