Zayn Malik is reportedly planning to add a hip-hop flavour to One Direction's next album after polishing up his rapping skills.

The 21-year-old heart throb is claimed by The Sun to have been holed up in the studio with chart-topping hitmaker Naughty Boy - real name Shahid Khan — who was behind No1 track La La La.

A source said: "Zayn has loved getting creative and is fast gaining confidence to try out new things musically. He even plucked up the courage to try to give rapping a shot. Everyone has been impressed with the results.

"He's rapped about what he feels comfortable about, like his life growing up and his relationship with Perrie Edwards from Little Mix.

"The results sound very similar to Drake."

But getting his rhymes on the next 1D album is apparently not yet a done deal.

"No one knows yet whether they will make the cut for One Direction's new album, as it would be a massive leap away from their pop sound, but Zayn is loving the creative freedom.

"It makes a change from the studio Zayn set up at home because he only plays the stuff he created there to his close friends."

The paper reports that the rest of the 1D lads will be joining Zayn and Naughty Boy in the studio to record one of the songs the duo have been writing together.

Zayn's bandmate Harry Styles has reportedly been working with OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder.