The 23-year-old "BoRdErZ" singer said the first time he realized he wanted to embark on a solo career was when an extraterrestrial being spoke to him in dreams, reported E! online.
"An alien spoke to me in a dream," Zayn said.
The "PiLlOwTAlK" hitmaker announced in March 2015 that he was leaving the group - and bandmates Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson - after five years of working together.
The musician didn't expand on his alien-filled dream, but he did reveal a series of other secrets.
The first person he calls in the morning is his "mum," and his first tattoo was in honor of his grandpa Walter.