Zayn Malik confesses remorse while talking One Direction exit

Zayn Malik recently opened up about how he’s liking his solo career and how One Direction made it for him to find his “individuality.”

Recalling his old band days, the 31-year-old singer admitted that he still isn't ready to tread his own musical path.

“I was in a five-part band where it was, you know, constant like opinions over opinions. This is what you want to do, and this is what we want to do. So it was hard to really show that individuality and show who you were. Not due to anybody’s fault, just circumstantial. That’s the way it was,” he said in an interview with The Zach Sang Show.

Zayn expressed his regret, adding, “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. 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 good to just be moody as f-ck all the time,’” he insisted.