One Direction is one of the most famous boy bands of all time, but since their indefinite hiatus — read it as ‘breakup’ — some band members became more successful than others. As Niall Horan is currently on his third solo concert tour, his former bandmate, Liam Payne, attended one of the shows but didn’t get the result he expected.
One Direction was composed of Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson, and was formed in 2010 after the members auditioned separately at the U.K. version of The X Factor, and Simon Cowell saw the potential for a boy band. They were globally successful, but the writing on the wall came when Malik left the band in 2015. The rest kept going for another year before going on an indefinite hiatus.
Most of the members are still in the spotlight. Most famous is Harry Styles, who won three Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year in 2023. However, Liam didn’t quite make the solo splash they desired and he’s currently trying to get the much-needed fame any way he can, yet fans aren’t having it.
Liam Payne attending Niall Horan’s concert wasn’t the wholesome experience he was hoping for
A few weeks ago, Harry Styles and his family attended Horan’s concert in Manchester and fans couldn’t get enough of the videos showing Styles having the time of his life. He sang, danced, and subtly snuck away to avoid taking away from Horan’s time, like the true gentleman we know he is, and we love him for that.
Flash forward to Oct. 2, Payne also attended the show with his partner, Kate Cassidy. However, his behavior couldn’t have been more different than Styles’. Payne took pictures with Horan’s fans at the venue, at the hotel, and anywhere he could, really, receiving a harsh label from fans: Attention seeker.
Horan and Payne have been friends for a long time, and Payne might’ve wanted to show support for his former bandmate and longtime friend. In a video on his Snapchat account — the “Strip That Down” singer explained that he was heading to Argentina and that he had ” a lot to talk about” with the “Black and White” singer, including some things to “square up.”
Payne explained in the clip, “We’re going to Argentina. One, because we have to, and two, because we want to, and three, because Niall Horan’s playing down there and I think we might just go and say ‘Hello.’” He continued, “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 just, we need to talk.”
Fans weren’t thrilled Payne attended Horan’s concert for many reasons. He previously attended Louis Tomlinson’s concert earlier this year, and received criticism then, too, for stealing the spotlight. Payne is no longer popular with many 1D fans after he badmouthed Zayn Malik on Logan Paul’s podcast, the perfect place for headline-worthy comments, as he claimed “there are many reasons why I dislike Zayn,” making fun of his alleged interaction with Gigi Hadid’s mother, Yolanda. Little did he know, he was the target of some accusations himself.
In May 2024, his ex, Maya Henry, released a novel called Looking Forward, where she drew inspiration from her real life, and discussed her toxic relationship with the former One Direction Star. Among the claims were Payne forcing her to have an abortion, among multiple instances of domestic abuse or verbal insults. An important thing to highlight is that Henry was only 19 when she started dating Payne in 2019, while he was 26, and already had a child with singer Cheryl Cole.
Among the assault accusations and his solo career flopping, drawing attention at his former bandmates’ concerts is the only way he knows how to attract interest anymore.
Published: Oct 4, 2024 04:01 am