Zayn Malik drops bombshell about 'racism' during One Direction era

Zayn Malik opened his old wounds from One Direction days with a shocking claim, leaving his fans heartbroken.

The former band member voiced the struggles he faced as someone of "Asian" descent in a predominantly "white band," in what seems to be a racial rant mentioned in his upcoming rap song, Fuchsia Sea.

"I’m a convert to the concert, and I did that for inflation, cause I worked hard in a white band, and they still laughed at the Asian," a lyric from the 32-year-old singer-songwriter's upcoming song raised eyebrows among fans after he posted the complete verses on his Instagram Stories on Saturday, July 5.

Notably, this isn’t the first time he has openly addressed racial discrimination. Since leaving One Direction in 2015, the Night Changes singer has been vocal about being labeled as "the other" and "different" because of his Pakistani heritage and Muslim background.

Despite the debate, fans continue to support him wholeheartedly with one commenting "Speak your truth, king! [clapping hand emoji] Fans still deny he went through racism in the band to this day."

Another added, "I think he’s talking about how the public, the fan base, and even industry people treated him differently."

In addition to recording such confessions in his 2016 book Zayn, the pop singer previously spoke in a 2015 interview with The Fader about how the media treated him differently because of his ethnicity.

Even the Dusk Till Dawn hitmaker's departure from One Direction in 2015 was largely driven by intense racism and the pressure of fame. Zayn left the band due to the emotional toll of being constantly scrutinized and misrepresented.