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After Liam Payne’s Death, the Music Industry Must Examine Its Treatment of Young Artists (Guest Column)
Liam Payne's death has highlighted the need for an examination of the pressures of the music business and its impact on young performers.
Katie Waissel, Payne’s fellow contestant on “The X Factor” — the British television competition where One Direction formed in 2010 — said his death “serves as a painful reminder of the systemic neglect that persists” in the music industry, where the focus remains on profits rather than looking after the people who work within it. Billie Eilish has said she lost out on the fun of her teen years due to work, and Justin Bieber has talked about the loneliness and isolation that comes with feeling trapped in a hotel room while fans and paparazzi circle outside. Therapy, from a specialist familiar with the music industry and fame who doesn’t have conflicts of interest, should be a given, as should support for artists who’ve experienced success and had to make the tricky transition back to “normal” life.
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