PopUps: In New Interview, Zayn Malik Denies Gay Rumors With 1D

Though gay rumors have plagued Zayn Malik and his former band mates of the British boy band One Direction, the 22-year-old singer, who quit the group earlier this year and is prepping a solo takeover, recently told the Fader he is not gay and hasn't had relations with Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan or Liam Payne.

"There's no secret relationships going on with any of the band members," Malik said in his first interview since leaving 1D. "It's not funny, and it still continues to be quite hard for them. "

He added: "They won't naturally go put their arm around each other because they're conscious of this thing that's going on, which is not even true. They won't do that natural behavior. But it's just the way the fans are. They're so passionate, and once they get their head around an idea, that's the way it is regardless of anything. If it wasn't for that passionate, like, almost obsession, then we wouldn't have the success that we had."

As NME points out, One Direction fans have often speculated about the group's relationships and Malik has admitted the gay rumors have impacted real friendships.

In the Fader interview, Malik also talked about his decision to leave One Direction and also previewed a snippet of his first solo music, a song called "Befour." You can check it out in the clip below.

This story is part of our special report: "PopUps". Want to read more? Here's the full list.