Liam Payne: His 2015 Attitude cover feature revisited in five quotes and images
"My mates are my mates, regardless of their sexuality" the star told us
Liam Payne has died at the age of 31 after falling from the third floor of his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, local authorities have confirmed.
The former One Direction member’s body was found yesterday (Wednesday 16 October 2024). His last public appearance was at a concert by his former bandmate Niall Horan in the city on 2 October.
Liam is survived by seven-year-old Bear, his son with Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole.
Here, we pay tribute to the star, known for 1D hits such as ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ and ‘Kiss You’, as well as solo hits like ‘Strip That Down’, by revisiting his 2015 Attitude cover feature.
The then 22-year-old posed for Attitude issue 262 almost exactly 10 years ago.
In an accompanying interview with Christian Guiltenane, the star – who rose to fame on the 2010 series of The X Factor – spoke out against homophobia and teased a 1D return – one that he’ll sadly never be a part of.
Liam on the future of One Direction after their 2015 hiatus
“It’s been five years and it’s time to take a well-earned break. Of course, we’ll work together again; we’re not splitting up. We’re just having some time out.”
Liam on his gay friends
“A lot of my friends are gay and I don’t think anything about it. I actually find it funny that being gay is still something that’s talked about as though it’s not natural. I mean I don’t go around saying ‘oh, this guy is gay’. I don’t make a big deal about it. I will just say ‘this is my mate’. My mates are my mates, regardless of their sexuality.”
Liam on astronomical fame
“I am not trying to pretend to be someone else. There will be times I don’t want to take a picture and there will be times that I’ll be lovely. In the celebrity world the first time you meet someone you are judged instantly. It’s hard to turn it on constantly when you’re only 22. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and I can be like the moodiest teenager and say ‘I don’t want to do this today’, but then when you get out there and there are 60, 000 people watching you, it’s hard not to have a good time.”
Liam on his solo career
“I like doing remixes. I have a great team and we have come up with some great songs. And each one is my new favourite, but this is what I want to do. I want to target every part of the industry. I have written country songs. I started out doing rap songs. That’s where my mind is set. A lot of people say to me ‘oh, you’ll go solo’ but I haven’t thought about that. If the right song comes along and I think I should sing it, then I will release it as a solo artist. Otherwise, I’m happy being behind the scenes. When the other boys go solo I would love to write songs for them. I want to make great music that people want to listen to.”
Liam on marriage equality
“We were in America at that time and there were loads of great parties and flags flying everywhere. It’s strange to me that countries are still refusing to pass the law. I just don’t understand why it’s taking them so long. We live in a time where everything is a lot more acceptable, but certain countries won’t move on. It’s made into a bigger issue than it should have been by people who are holding onto history. You can’t live in the past, you have to move with the times.”
This read Liam’s interview in full, check out issue 261 of Attitude on the Attitude app.