Zayn Malik thinks it is "dangerous" to refer to himself as a celebrity.
The ‘PILLOWTALK’ hitmaker hates the term as he feels it makes some stars feel as though they’re more superior than other people.
He told HighSnobiety magazine: "I hate the word celebrity. I think it’s a dangerous road to go down, thinking of yourself as a celebrity, because then you somehow automatically think that label makes you superior to other people. Some people just want to hang around you because they know your name … I can see through that bulls**t a mile off."
Meanwhile, the 23-year-old singer – who is dating model Gigi Hadid – previously admitted he feels "free at last" after quitting One Direction.
He shared: "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 …
"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."
Zayn found it difficult going solo at first and admitted there was a "lot of built-up anxiety" ahead of the release of his first single.
He added: "There was a lot of built-up anxiety to create this thing. You don’t really know what’s going to happen. So when that song [his debut single ‘PILLOWTALK’] went out, and I saw the reaction from the fans, that took a little weight off me for a bit. Obviously, there’s still a lot of pressure. I don’t want to be a one-hit wonder, so I’ve got a lot of work to do."
Zayn Malik hates the word ‘celebrity’
