Liam Payne was quietly dropped by his record label because they feared the music he wanted to make wouldn’t win over his One Direction fanbase, sources have claimed.
DailyMail.com previously revealed the late singer, who died aged 31 on Wednesday after falling from a third floor of a hotel in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires, was served a devastating blow by Universal Music who put his second album on hold before dropping him.
And now, insiders have claimed that the industry bigwigs cut ties with Payne in part because of the type of music he loved making.
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, they said: ‘Liam wanted to make the sort of music he enjoyed but his label believed it wouldn’t win over 1D fans so there were disagreements about the way his brand should have been marketed.’
The insider also alleged that the executives were having to make budget cuts, and the former One Direction star’s bad press ultimately helped to determine his fate.
It is claimed the label ties with Payne partly because of ‘all the memes and jokes people made about him online’.
Liam Payne was quietly dropped by his record label just days before his death (star pictured at Wembley in 2023)
The former One Direction singer, pictured in 2019, was let go because the label feared the music he wanted to make wouldn’t win over his One Direction fanbase
‘The entire music industry is making cuts and restructuring to cut costs so Universal decided to drop Liam quietly and invest in other artists,’ the source said.
‘He didn’t need the money because he was wealthy, but yes it did hurt him because he was under constant pressure to compete with the other guys in the band.’
The source added: ‘Unfortunately, part of the decision was motivated by all of the memes and jokes people made about him online.
‘His team saw that as a sign to jump ship.’
Last month, fans expressed concern for Payne after he appeared to act erratically in a TikTok video uploaded by his girlfriend Kate Cassidy, 24.
On September 30, Kate uploaded a clip in which she showed off their ‘outfit of the night check’.
In the upload, Payne popped in and out of the frame almost tripping her up multiple times as she struggled to talk through what she was wearing.
He also danced in the background and appeared in shot holding a laptop which was blasting music.
An insider told DailyMail.com ‘the entire music industry is making cuts and restructuring to cut costs’
Fans flooded the comments with their unease, with one writing: ‘Is Liam ok? Genuine question.’
Another said: ‘Omg Liam please take care and get the help/time you need.’
Days later, on October 2, Payne was filmed dancing the macarena during an intermission at Niall Horan’s concert in Buenos Aires.
The clip went viral, but social media users were less than pleasant and described Payne as ’embarrassing’ and ‘cringe’.
Another source claimed to DailyMail.com that Universal Music’s decision to scrap Liam was to do with his online persona.
‘It was more to do with public perception than anything because other musicians are a lot harder to work with,’ they said.
‘But Liam was being mocked in public, so it was much easier for his team to abandon him.
‘Liam made millions for the industry but was shunned when he wanted it to support him.’
DailyMail.com has contacted Universal for comment.
Multiple sources previously confirmed to DailyMail.com on Thursday that Payne was given a huge advance at the label but he didn’t recoup it.
Universal Music paid tribute to Payne on social media following news of his death
‘Out of all of the One Direction boys, Liam was on the wrong path musically,’ an insider said.
The Universal Music Group paid tribute to Payne on Thursday morning on social media.
Their statement read: ‘We are devastated by the tragic passing of Liam Payne.
‘His legacy will live on through his music and the countless fans he inspired and who adored him.
‘We send our deepest condolences to Liam’s family and loved ones.’
On top of being dropped by his label, Payne’s PR also resigned earlier this month, which left him without any publicity representation.
The resignation came as his ex-fiancé Maya Henry began legal proceedings against him after accusing him of repeatedly contacting her.
One source said: ‘It is like all of Liam’s music career that he had built up since he went solo eight years ago was crumbling, there was very little left for him.
‘It must have absolutely devastated him.’