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 Paul, reflecting on his ups and downs both during and after his 1D days. The group — which also featured Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan — came to fruition on the X Factor UK in 2010 and went on to become one of the best-selling boy bands of all time. Despite their successes, the group faced a few 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 ultimately placed in third on their season of the X Factor, later signing with Simon Cowell‘s Syco Records. The group has been on hiatus since 2016.
“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. When Paul, 27, brought up a 2020 feud between his brother, Jake Paul, and the “Pillowtalk” artist — and Gigi Hadid‘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.”
When news of his feud with Yolanda made headlines last fall, Malik defended himself in a lengthy Twitter statement. He was charged with four criminal offenses of harassment and pleaded no contest, earning 90 days of 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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