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Artist News
Liam Payne discusses the toll One Direction’s schedule took on him
By Andy Malt | Published on Friday 24 November 2017
Liam Payne has said that he was struggling to cope with mental health issues at One Direction’s peak, and questioned why he was allowed to continue touring. He added that the group’s split was necessary for all four members.
“I shouldn’t have been able to do as many shows as we did, if I’m honest about it, if I’m brutally honest about it”, he told The Sun. “Going out and putting that happy smile on my face and singing the songs, honestly, sometimes it was like putting on one of those costumes, going out there and, underneath the costume, people don’t really see what’s going on”.
He added that all of his bandmates at times struggled with their fame, and that putting the group on hiatus was something they all felt they needed to do.
“The more we did, I just don’t think we stopped and celebrated enough how great things were and I think that’s what got on top of us in the end”, he went on. “It was like, ‘Oh, you’ve just won three EMAs, but get on the plane and go to the next place'”.
“Even though I know fans are not mad about it,?we needed [to split up]”, he added. “We needed a little bit of time away from each other. We needed a realisation point to find the love for it again, rather than it just becoming a job. I’m a totally different person now to how I used to be about it”.
Payne has now released two solo singles, ‘Strip That Down’ and ‘Bedroom Floor’.