Zayn Malik Reveals If He's Talked to the 1D Guys, Describes His Perfect Girl in 'Billboard'

Zayn Malik gets his close up on the cover of Billboard‘s latest issue.

The 22-year-old entertainer talked about leaving One Direction, his new music, and more. Here’s what he shared…

On his new music: “I’ll come down here and record maybe seven songs a night….That’s because I’m enjoying what I’m doing. I’m not censoring myself anymore, so I’m not tired. I love it.”

On what he did after leaving the band: “I went home. I seen my mum, who cooked me some great food. I ate for three weeks because I’d lost so much weight in the band. I seen my sisters and put my dad’s sheepskin on — I walked around and everyone thought I was him. Nobody bothered me. It was good for my soul to be back in Bradford.”

On if he’s remained friends with the 1D guys: “The truth of it is you can think one thing about a -situation and the total opposite can happen. I had every intention of remaining friends with everybody, but I guess certain phone numbers have changed and I haven’t received calls from a lot of people. I’ve reached out to a few of them and not got a reply. Certain people have pride issues, but it’s stuff you overcome in time.”

On his dream girl: “I need a challenge. Also, I like girls that are a bit chunky in certain areas�the nice areas. I like a fuller woman. I enjoy an intellectual conversation as well, where someone can construct a sentence beyond what hair and makeup they’re wearing, and talk about something political or about the world. I like an opinion.”

For more from Zayn, visit Billboard.com.