Zayn Malik isn’t just shying away from the spotlight these days – he’s actively moving from it. More specifically, he’s spending more time at his farm in rural Pennsylvania, which he purchased on the advice of Yolanda Hadid, the mother of his on-again, off-again girlfriend Gigi Hadid.
Yolanda also owns a farm in the area, and Zayn and Gigi celebrated their two-year anniversary there back in November before splitting.
There, the former One Direction boy bander can get away from the demands of fame and likely spend time decompressing, possibly gardening or taking care of the horse he and Gigi share, named Cool.
According to a new GQ interview, there are “crops of cherries, tomatoes, and cucumbers” on the grounds, and he occasionally likes to ride his ATV around the farm. “I don’t work well in group situations, with loads of people staring at me,” Malik told the magazine. “And when you say ‘star’…everyone wants you to be this kind of character that owns a room or is overly arrogant or confident. I’m not that guy. So I don’t want to be a star. ”
Malik has previously made mention of his penchant for a calmer pace of life, telling Billboard last year that he enjoys recording in a private studio out in rural Pennsylvania because it’s “out of the way and feels grounded … I do a lot of farm work. I take the horses out and feed the cows and that kind of stuff. It’s cool. I’ve always been interested in animals. ”
Not that Malik has ditched the city life completely; earlier this year, the singer landed an enviable penthouse bachelor pad in New York City’s swanky Soho neighborhood for a $10,691,625. The loft-style penthouse features four bedrooms and four bathrooms over the span of 3,597 square feet.
