Zayn Malik
Zayn MalikReuters

It has been a while since Zayn Malik treated his fans to a live performance, and this could be because he's still struggling to deal with his anxiety issues.

Malik left popular British band One Direction in 2015 and has made a name for himself as a solo artist. Since then he has had to cancel certain performances due to anxiety, which he has been open about.

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In a behind the scenes video of his Vogue cover shoot, Malik addressed his mental health issues, saying: "I always feel like I'm trying to work through whatever certain issues are around certain subjects. For me personally, it comes from a place of not wanting to come across as an over-arrogant person that takes themselves too seriously."

"I'm not always trying to be pretentious or say something that is going to change the world, I feel like I'm one voice among millions," he added.

Gigi Hadid's boyfriend also revealed that despite his rise to stardom he often finds it difficult to mix with other people.

"I'm not a very outgoing social person like in terms of a big group of people. You know when we're getting ready to put the second album out, people are going to start seeing me a bit more. I'm excited for what people will think and I think it's been a year since I properly showed my face and stuff," said Malik.

asian awards
Former One Direction member Zayn Malik (R) and his mother Trishia (L) arrive at the fifth annual Asian Awards in the Grosvenor House Hotel, London 17 April 2015.Reuters

Malik's struggles with anxiety came to light last year after he pulled out of Capital FM's Summertime Ball. Malik immediately took to Twitter to apologise to his fans, writing: "Unfortunately my anxiety that has haunted me throughout the last few months around live performances has gotten the better of me."

Three months later, he cancelled a second gig at Dubai's Autism Rocks. At that time, he told fans that he had made progress, but did not feel "sufficiently confident" to perform solo.