Lulu feels sorry for Zayn Malik.

The 22-year-old pop star made the decision to quit chart-topping boy band One Direction last month and the 'Shout' singer has admitted she sympathises greatly with the star.

She said: ''The big pop stars are all lonely, even with thousands of people screaming at them. You do have to feel sorry for that kid Zayn Malik.

''When I was a little bit younger than him I married Maurice Gibb, and looking back I can see we were drawn to each other because we were both lonely.''

And the 66-year-old singer has admitted she feels her emotional development has been ''stunted'' by joining the music business at an early age.

She added to The Observer magazine: ''I don't think I'm emotional grown up. Being in the music business from an early age sort of stunts your growth in that way.''

Meanwhile, the pop star has revealed her new album will be ''outrageous''.

She said previously: ''It's nuts, to think I'm doing this, at this age! It's a first for me, at 66. It's kind of outrageous. It's scary, in fact, if I think of it like that. I should have started writing when I was young, that was a big mistake, but it feels like it fits so well now.

''I've found a way to deal with the things that have driven me. I've always tried not to be vulnerable and this is allowing me to open up, in a way. I feel like I've grown up. And yet, the opposite is true, I feel like I'm just beginning.''