Singer is smoking hot on Paper magazine's sexy issue cover

Singer, Zayn Malik is literally smoking hot, as he graces the cover of Paper magazine's #SEXY Summer issue. Zayn, shows off his gorgeous brown eyes and muscles in photos taken by Paola Kudacki .

Read excerpts from the interview about his partying too hard to his love of sex:

On his album, Mind of Mine, being about sex:

"It wasn't a conscious decision to make [the album] sexual or refer to sex. But I just found out that a lot of situations that I was in were quite sexual situations -- all of the time. I enjoyed singing about [sex], clearly."

On why he's taking horseback riding lessons with girlfriend Gigi Hadid:

"Because my girlfriend rides a little bit. Actually, that's an understatement. She rides very well, and she has since she was a kid. She wants me to do it with her, and I'm not good. But I'm learning, and it's fun. My first lesson was on a really old horse that didn't move very much, so it wasn't that scary. She was on the other horse, the one that moved a lot more. She was jumping over hurdles and I just sat there like, 'OK, this is freaky.'"

On becoming more of a sex symbol since leaving One Direction:

"If girls find me attractive, then that's a cool thing. If guys find me attractive, then that's a cool thing as well. It's sick. It's a compliment. I'm blessed by whoever was up there to be who I am and be able to do what I do. I genuinely mean that."

On what he finds attractive in a woman:

"I've always said it and I still stand by it: I find intelligence attractive. When I learn something from somebody and they teach me something, that's an attractive thing for me. Obviously, I find physical appearance attractive as well, but it's definitely squared more towards a personality as I've gotten older, because you can't have a long-term relationship unless you get on with the person. It doesn't matter really about the exterior."

On being forced to shave his beard in One Direction:

"I think it's 'cause I just looked old. And they didn't like that. [And] I always wanted a beard I think every dude does when they're young. Seeing Al Pacino in Carlito's Way -- I needed the goatee after that. I was like, 'I wanna be Al Pacino.' I've always been obsessed with that, and I had to shave it off. I used to get a bit sad."

On why he tries to avoid the party scene:

"I don't really enjoy going out too much and partying. I like to have my own time and be at home, and I kind of need a partner with me to do that. I just like the security of that. It feels good to me. It feels right."

On how many tattoos he has:

"Don't know. They've kind of become one."

On his loyal fans that have followed him from One Direction to a solo career:

"Overwhelming. There have been a few moments where I've been really taken aback... I feel like everybody looks for some sort of approval from some form in their life, and my fans are my approval. It's a sense of achievement that you can't really explain. To still be valuable by yourself is an important thing."

On building a Pirates of the Caribbean-themed bar in his London home:

"I love the [movie's] aesthetic and how well it's done. I feel like it's really authentic to pirate times. Like I know anything about 'pirate times.' I guess I just love it. I'm a big kid."