It’s a long way down. Liam Payne opened up about adjusting to life after One Direction — and he didn’t hold back when it came to sharing the nitty-gritty details of his time in the band.
The 28-year-old singer got candid during the Tuesday, May 31, episode of the “Impaulsive” podcast with Logan PaulReflecting on his ups, downs, and experiences during and after his 1D days. The group — which also featured Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson Niall Horan — came to fruition on the X Factor UKIn 2010, the boy band became one of the most successful of all time. Despite their successes, there were some struggles.
“I wasn’t used to rowdy guys and whatever else. … Louis was wild and [he was] wanting to be wild, that’s his spirit,” Payne recalled of the 30-year-old songwriter. “And also he’s my best mate now, but in the band we hated each other. Like, to come to blows hated each other.”
Payne said his “journey” on the singing competition “was a little bit different” from the rest of the band members because of his level of experience. One Direction placed third in the final season of the competition. X FactorLater signing with Simon Cowell‘s Syco Records. Since 2016, the group has been in hiatus.
“What you find in bands is whoever’s not singing as much will find their voice behind the stage and Louis did find his voice behind the stage. He found his voice later on in the rest of the albums and I will happily say now that without him doing that — even though sometimes it was the absolute death of me — he made all the right choices that I wouldn’t have made,” Payne continued on Tuesday. “It was me leading the band from the front on the stage, making sure everybody’s in the right positions and stuff, then him from behind the stage making critical decisions on what songs we’d do. … He was crucial, crucial, crucial, even without singing to start.”
While the “Strip That Down” crooner and Tomlinson appear to have patched up their relationship, the dynamic between Payne and Malik, 29, seemingly remains tense. Paul, 27, brought up a 2020 dispute between his brother. Jake Paul, and the “Pillowtalk” artist — and Gigi Hadi‘s fiery response to the drama — Payne gave his honest thoughts on the situation.
“She tweeted something about get yourself a respectful man or something. That one didn’t age very well,” the British singer teased, seemingly referring to Malik’s alleged altercation with his ex’s mother, Yolanda Hadid, whom he reportedly called a “f–king Dutch slut” in September 2021.
The “Get Low” singer told Logan “there’s many reasons why I dislike Zayn,” adding that it wasn’t fair to diss his former bandmate because there were also times when he himself felt “misunderstood” over the years.
“Listen, I don’t agree with any of his actions. I can’t commend some of the things that he’s done. I can’t be on his side for that,” Payne said. “What I can say is I understand and your only hope is that at some point in their life, the person at the other end of the phone wants to receive the help that you’re willing to give them.”
Malik responded to the news about his feud with Yolanda in a long Twitter statement. He was charged with four counts of harassment and pleaded not guilty, receiving 90 days probation for each count. The “She” artist was also required to complete an anger management class and a domestic violence program.
Us Weekly confirmed amid the drama that Malik and Gigi had “silently separated” after dating on and off since 2015. They welcomed daughter Khai in September 2020.
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