Music mogul Simon Cowell has responded to Liam Payne’s claims that One Direction were locked in hotel rooms at the height of their stardom.
Cowell, 66, was in a state of shock last year when he learned the 1D pop star had died at the age of 31 on October 16, having fallen from his hotel balcony in Argentina.
In the years before his untimely death and throughout his solo career, Payne spoke frankly about his time in the hugely successful boyband, who were formed and mentored by Cowell on The X Factor in 2010.
During one of his most famous interviews, Payne recalled how he and his fellow members, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik, would be confined to their hotels due to the uncontrollable pandemonium that ensued whenever they went outside.
Because of this, Payne turned to drinking, later speaking openly about his battles with alcohol and drug addiction. He marked 100 days of sobriety after a stint in rehab shortly before he died.
Speaking to Steven Bartlett on his Diary of a CEO podcast in 2021, Payne shared: ‘When we were in the band, the best way to secure us because of how big it got was just to lock us in our room.
‘And of course, what’s in the room? Mini bar.’
Now, Cowell has responded to Payne’s remarks, having signed the group with his record label in 2011.
Asked by The New York Times if he ‘knew at the time’ that Payne was struggling, he replied: ‘A little bit. There was stuff I never would have spoken about then, private conversations and advice I tried to give him, which is what comes with fame, etc.
‘But you’re signing a lot of artists, and when you sign an artist, my role is, essentially, get them with the right production team, get the managers, and try and make them successful. But at the same time, I probably had about 20 artists on my books at the time.’
Cowell added that, as his signings become famous and start working with different teams, ‘it is a little bit like they leave the nest’.
What Makes You Beautiful hitmakers 1D (who went on hiatus in 2015) were primarily managed by Modest! for their five years together.
‘You always say you’re available when you need to be, but you can’t follow them everywhere,’ Cowell stated.
On his relationship with Payne specifically, having last seen him a year before his death, Cowell mused: ‘If I could go back in time to that one day when he was in my house here—obviously, you always think about things like that. What if I’d said this? What if I had said that? But there’s only so much you can do with any artist.
‘If you just have one artist in your life, maybe, but I’m not a manager. My job is to run the label. And you just hope that they are successful and happy.’
The interviewer reminded Cowell that One Direction were ‘kids’ when they were signed by him, to which the talent show judge admitted label boss-artist relationships are ‘complicated’.
He added that ‘every artist is different’ and it is ‘equally difficult’ both ‘trying to be famous’ and ‘managing your fame’.
Discussing whether Payne’s death represented how toxic the industry can be, Cowell reflected on his own life choices.
‘Not every day has been amazing, but I’m glad I did what I did. I made the decision to do something different in my life, and it comes with pressure, a lot of stress, but I signed up for it because obviously there was something inside of me saying, “I want to be well known”.’
Defiantly, he declared he ‘would do it all over again’.
Cowell’s latest remarks come after he defended himself against criticism of his management of former X Factor contestants.
Appearing on the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast, he said he ‘doesn’t read’ reports around Payne’s tragedy to avoid ‘torturing [himself]’.
‘The idea that you are essentially responsible for somebody’s life, 10 years after you’ve signed someone? You can’t do that,’ Cowell added after being quizzed on allegations he was to blame.
Cowell attended Payne’s funeral last year after his body was flown home from Buenos Aires. Other celebrities in attendance included James Corden, Payne’s ex, Cheryl, with whom he had a son, and the other One Direction members.
He also shared a tribute statement at the time, writing that he felt ’empty’ at the loss and that Payne ‘left us too soon’.
Out of all the 1D members, Payne remained the closest to Cowell as their careers grew, despite him feeling ‘annoyed’ when he chose another label to launch his solo ventures. Although Cowell said he should have reached out to offer to work together.
Payne, whose debut solo single was Strip That Down, released in 2017, properly began speaking out about the downside of his astronomical fame in 2020, which is when he embarked on a sobriety journey.
Having hit rock bottom mentally and realising he needed help, he later confessed: ‘There’s only one life; you’ve got to live it to the best, and I wasn’t doing that.’
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