Zayn Malik just signed a record deal with RCA — and threw shade at One Direction! Even though the singer told Directioners that he left the group in order to be a normal 22-year-old guy, he says in his recent tweets that he left the group because he wanted the "opportunity to show you who I really am."

He posted a photo of himself signing a recording contract.

And hinted that he would finally get to show fans the "real me."

He also retweeted a fan who says that he wasn't making music that was real to him before he quit 1D.

zayn malik real music rt

While we totally support his decision to branch out and make music (after all, we all miss the Bradford Bad Boy's high notes), we're a bit disappointed that he was kind of throwing shade at the band that made him famous.

What do you think about Zayn's news? Let us know in the comments!

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