With all five members establishing successful solo careers, can we finally stopped grieving One Direction? If nothing else can bring you closure, perhaps Liam Payne joining his ex-bandmates in calling out the worst aspects of the 1D experience will help true stans move on for good.
As a guest on the podcast Table Manners with Jessie Ware, Liam Payne bared the raw truth about the toll being in One Direction took on his mental health. Eventually, the self-destructive lifestyle got so bad that he worried he would “end up a crazy child star who dies at whatever age”.
1D never technically disbanded in an official sense, but given the way that Liam talks about it, an end to the hiatus is starting to sound impossible. “I wanted nothing to do with it,” he said. “There’s no stop button, and you have no control over your life.”
It’s not really surprising that the One Direction phenomenon put a lot of pressure on Liam, but the scale to which it affected him is pretty shocking. Time to take a refresher course on the toxicity of the band, and its often invasive following.
Zayn Malik, you will remember, was the first to get out. He quit the band in mid-2015, and the rest quickly crumbled after him. In various interviews he’s admitted that his heart was never really in it, and that he felt so isolated that he couldn’t consider any of the other guys real friends.
But Zayn wasn’t the only one feeling the tension. Niall Horan has said that the bandmates’ relationships with each other were getting so rocky towards the end that they would “end up killing each other” if they hasn’t split.
“We got tired,” Niall said. “Five albums, five tours, in five years. We were all knackered.”
Even Louis Tomlinson, who really wanted the band to stay together and still seems to see the whole experience positively, found the attention invasive at times. When the whole Euphoria ‘Larry Stylinson’ debacle went down, Louis was pissed – not surprising, since he blames the ‘ship for ruining his friendship with Harry Styles.
And speaking of Harry, just look at what he’s done since 1D’s demise! A number one album, kicking off an acting career… need more be said?
In light of Liam’s recent revelations, I think it’s safe to say, it was worth the sacrifice. Sorry Directioners, but your love does not trump the mental health and wellbeing of the people you stan so hard.
Besides, if you add it all up, you’ve got way more #content to enjoy now than you ever did before. Five times the fun, right? Liam Payne’s “labor of love,” his debut album LP1 drops on December 6, so it’s about time y’all show your support for a real passion project and put the 2020 reunion rumours to bed.