On May 31, Liam Payne appeared in Episode 328 of the controversial IMPAULSIVE YouTuber Logan Paul Podcast. However, the singer herself proved just as controversial.
British singer-songwriter and former One Direction member Liam Payne has come under fire after guesting on a podcast. Not only talking about his former group mates, Liam also commented on the success of BTS (Bangtan Boys).
On May 31, Liam Payne was featured on Episode 328 of YouTuber Logan Paul's controversial IMPAULSIVE podcast, which releases new episodes every Tuesday. However, the singer herself proved just as controversial.
Throughout the episode, Liam Payne makes one comment too many even his own fans find inappropriate and problematic. He especially criticized Zayn Malik, who made netizens think his remarks were very hypocritical considering the recent incident where Liam was caught cheating.
However, what annoyed many netizens, both Directioners and non-directors alike, was that Liam, along with Logan Paul, underestimated the success of many other artists including his former colleagues. Here, Liam claims that he sold more than any other former One Direction member with the song "Strip That Down."
Similarly, at the beginning of the episode, another boy band is belittled when introducing Liam Payne as a former member of One Direction. Logan Paul claims that One Direction are "the greatest boy band of all time," and that there is no match for their success.
Logan Paul did add that K-Pop is generally the exception. Although, many feel it shouldn't be a completely different category given that Korean groups like BTS are achieving international success just like One Direction, the British boy band, are having worldwide success.
Liam agrees with Paul, saying that K-Pop bands are "kind of reviving [One Direction's success]" while also casually calling Australian pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer. "Yeah, I think some K-Pop bands have revived that. I mean, of course, we also had 5 Seconds of Summer. They were pretty successful," Liam said.
Netizens were shocked by Liam's statement. ARMYs especially feel that BTS has been satirized and over-generalized. Still, 5 Seconds of Summer is also explicitly mentioned, and their success is also minimized considering they are still an active band.
The fact that these comments about BTS were made at a time when BTS was visiting the White House in Washington D.C., the US capital city, to celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and talk about the importance of inclusion, Asian diversity, and anti-hate crimes Asia, at Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's press conference and in a meeting with US President Joe Biden made it even more sarcastic.
Also, many ARMYs feel that the implication that One Direction are better than BTS is ridiculous. So, they state that BTS can emulate any One Direction song; on the other hand, One Direction couldn't replicate BTS' songs, especially since BTS incorporates strong choreography.
Others pointed out that Liam Payne emphasized how badly he got along with his other bandmates throughout the episode, specifically Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik, calling all the members "rowdy." As a result, he will get into fights. However, BTS is famous for getting along well and overcoming their disagreements. (wk/goddess)
