Zayn Malik Says He Was Kicked Off of Tinder for 'Catfishing': 'It's Not Been Too Successful for Me'

• Zayn Malik has been kicked off Tinder "once or twice" because the app thought he was catfishing himself
• He opened up to NYLON about his romantic relationships with Perrie Edwards and Gigi Hadid
• Malik reveals he's taking his romantic life a lot slower

Zayn Malik is opening up about his romantic history, from his One Direction days to now.

In a candid new interview with NYLON for their May cover story, the “Dusk Till Dawn” singer discussed his dating life, from his engagement to Little Mix's Perrie Edwards to his dating app endeavors.

“Everyone accused me of catfishing,” he said. “They’re like, ‘What are you using Zayn Malik’s pictures for?’”

Added Malik: “It’s not been too successful for me, I’ll be honest.”

The “PILLOWTALK” artist also discussed his earliest dating days, including when he became engaged to Edwards, 30, while in One Direction. Recalling the four-year relationship, which lasted from when he was 17 until he was 21, Malik said, “I didn’t know anything about anything at that point.”

He continued: “I thought I did, because I was 21. I was legally allowed to do everything, but I didn’t know s---.”

Reflecting on his relationship history more broadly — which also includes model Gigi Hadid, with whom he shares daughter Khai, 3½  — the pop musician told NYLON he thinks he was attempting to experience the normal adult life that fame stripped from him.

Malik — who was raised with a “very chill life” in Bradford, England and now lives on a farm in Pennsylvania — said that prior to his stint in One Direction, he “never really had a girlfriend,” so when he got the chance, he went all-in.

“My parents were kind of old-school, so I never brought a girlfriend home or anything,” he said. “When I got the chance to do that, I jumped straight in, two feet first, and was like, ‘I'm going to have a girlfriend, and she’s going to live with me. This makes me a grown man.’”

After he and Edwards broke off their engagement in 2015, Malik began dating Hadid, 29, and the pair had an on-and-off relationship that lasted until a final split in October 2021.

“From 21 to 27, I was with Gi, and we had a kid, and I didn’t really take much time to get to know myself,” the singer told NYLON.

Today, he said he’s taking everything, including his romantic life, a lot slower.

“It’s probably wise to take your time before you fully invest in another human being as a lifelong partner,” said Malik, who added that he is perfectly happy with his quiet farm life, especially when it includes Khai.

“I only have my daughter 50% of the time,” he told NYLON, adding he “would have her 90% if I could.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

During their father-daughter time, he and Khai “see Disney on Ice or we go see the Nickelodeon theme park,” he said. “Or we go to the beach. That’s how I get out.”

That, coupled with family visits and gaming with U.K. friends, is more than enough for Malik, who currently has no need for Tinder — or anything romance-related, for that matter.

“I’m really content and happy with being single for the first time in my life,” he said.

Malik will release his new album Room Under the Stairs on May 17 via Mercury Records.