Zayn Malik thought One Direction's music was really "generic."
Zayn Malik
The 23-year-old singer has admitted one of the things that spurred on his decision to quit the popular boy band earlier this year was the vocal restrictions he was forced to comply with.
He explained: "There was never any room for me to experiment creatively in the band. If I would sing a hook or a verse slightly R&B, or slightly myself, it would always be recorded 50 times until there was a straight version that was pop, generic as fuck, so they could use that version.
"Whenever I would suggest something, it was like it didn't fit us. There was just a general conception that the management already had of what they want for the band, and I just wasn't convinced with what we were selling."
The handsome star has revealed the group - consisting now of Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Niall Horan - were forced to pump out pop music because producers were convinced that genre would rake in the most money.
Speaking to Fader magazine, he said: "I wasn't 100 per cent behind the music. It wasn't me.
"It was music that was already given to us, and we were told this is what is going to sell to these people.
"As much as we were the biggest, most famous boy band in the world, it felt weird. We were told to be happy about something that we weren't happy about."
The 'Perfect' hitmakers are now on an extended hiatus - a decision they announced shortly after Zayn's departure - so they can focus on solo projects and take a needed break.
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