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Liam Payne had some less-than-pleasant things to say about his One Direction bandmates before his tragic death at 31 on Wednesday, October 16. The boy band alum made quite the waves in 2017 when he dropped his debut solo single, collaborating with hip-hop artist Quavo on the track “Strip That Down.”
Fans quickly took note of his 1D-specific lyrics in the track as he sang, “You know I used to be in 1D (Now I’m out, free) / People want me for one thing (That’s not me).” Old Directioners worried initially that it was his way of distancing himself from the band following his solo debut. However, the Brit musician admittedly addressed the lyrics in a previous interview with The Sun, explaining the expression was more about him not being solely attached to the identity as “that guy from One Direction.”
“I don’t think it’s a case of ‘now we’re moving on’ sort of thing, it’s more so the freedom to write the music you want to write,” he added.
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Liam Payne previously spoke negatively about One Direction
In June 2022, he sat down with Logan Paul for his appearance on the Impaulsive podcast and openly criticised the other members of the band – Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik. However, the following year, he dropped a confessional YouTube video, disclosing that he spent 100 days in rehab. At the time, he also dished his “own frustrations with” his career. “I took shots at everybody else which is wrong,” Payne said. “So, obviously, I want to apologise for that because that’s definitely not me.”
During the initial interview with Paul, Payne held nothing back. In a supposedly tell-all fashion, he indirectly divulged that he “came to blows” with Zayn backstage. Even though he didn’t name-drop Malik then, his focussed conversation around his former bandmate and his controversies was telling. Ultimately, it was Liam’s ex-fiancee, Maya Henry, who lifted the lid on the story in a separate interaction, revealing Malik allegedly “pushed him against a wall.”
However, Zayn wasn’t the only one he had grievances against. Payne also talked about how he “outsold everybody within the band” with his 2017 single. Fans didn’t respond to his claims in kind, bringing up Harry Styles and Malik’s major hits at the time, like “Watermelon Sugar” and “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever.”
Liam Payne embarked on the Argentine getaway to reunite with Niall Horan
Cut to this year’s October first week, Liam flew to Buenos Aires to talk things over with his 1D maye Niall Horan. The Irish singer’s show was scheduled merely two weeks before Payne untimely died in the same city. Before arriving in the Argentine capital, Payne dropped an update on his Instagram Stories, saying he wanted to “square up a couple things” with Horan.
His initial days of the getaway to the South American country were spent as romantic quality time with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy. “We’re going to Argentina,” he said in the IG video, per The New York Post’s report. “One, because we want to. Two, because we want to. And three, because Niall Horan’s playing down there and I think we might just go and say hello.”
Also read | Liam Payne’s ex-fiancee issued a cease and desist days before his death: Messy legal woes and rift unravelled
He admitted, “It’s been a while since me and Niall have spoken. We’ve got a lot to talk about and I would like to square up a couple things with the boy. No bad vibes or nothing like that but we just need to talk.”
Payne’s attendance at Horan’s concert at the Movistar Arena was confirmed in early October, according to fan-captured videos of the day circulating on social media. Horan’s concerts have been certified as the hotspot for mini One Direction reunions, especially since Styles also attended a different show.
Liam Payne and Louis Tomlison’s brief reunion last year
Beyond that, Liam also reunited with Louis Tomlinson at Cineworld Leicester Square on March 16, 2023, as he came out to support his bandmate at the premiere of his new documentary, All of Those Voices. Although the late 31-year-old singer acknowledged during the controversial Impaulsive interview that he and Tomlinson “hated each other” during their 1D years, they eventually went on to become the best of mates. Shortly after the doc premiere in London, Payne wrote on Instagram, “Seeing the world through your eyes last night was the most beautiful thing to experience.”
He continued to express his gratitude to Louis for being a pivotal part of his life, as he wrote in his tribute, “I’m so thankful to have you in my life mate I feel so lucky and I know you know this but you were part of a small group of people that literally saved my life, you dragged me out of something so dark I’ve never shared it but your approach is something I admire and aspire to so I can one day do the same.”
Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson skyrocketed to immense fame as members of One Direction after coming together on The X Factor in 2010. They went their separate ways as soloists in 2016, months after Zayn quit the band in 2015.
