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English singer-songwriter and former member of One Direction, Liam Payne has come under fire after appearing on a podcast where he made a number of remarks that even his own fans considered problematic.
Payne was chastised for allegedly downplaying BTS' success when he appeared on Logan Paul's podcast - IMAPULSIVE, on Tuesday, May 31. Paul claimed at the start of the show that One Direction was the "biggest boy band of all time," and that no one had "replicated" their success, greatly overlooking BTS' global achievements.
"Yeah, I think some of the K-Pop bands have kind of reignited the thing," Payne responded.
How did Liam Payne discredited BTS' success?
The singer ignored the impact BTS has made in the music scene worldwide and claimed that One Direction is the biggest boy band in the world.
"You had such a rapid and global rise. So you're a member of One Direction, probably the biggest boy band of all time that has yet to be replicated."
Paul did add that K-pop was an exception in general. Many felt it should not be in its own category, given the international success of Korean groups such as BTS, as well as One Direction, a British boy band, on a global scale.
Netizens were taken aback by Payne's implications. "Like I don't know if there's like... besides K-Pop," he said. ARMYs, in particular, felt that BTS had been shaded and vastly overgeneralized.
Furthermore, many ARMYs were of the opinion that the comparison was ridiculous, going on to posit that BTS could replicate any One Direction song, whereas the reverse would not be possible, especially since BTS incorporates vigorous choreography with their numbers.
The fandom was also quick to mention all the achievements of BTS and compare them to Payne's currently stagnant career.
Many One Direction fans turned ARMYs were upset at Payne's comments and decided it was better to focus on BTS' worldwide success.
Liam Payne also talked about his time with One Direction and made comments about former member Zayn
Following One Direction’s 2015 hiatus, Payne spilled decade-old gossip about the five-member group and falsely claimed that he was the most successful soloist, and fans of the band promptly dragged him on Twitter with some cold hard facts.
He was especially critical of his former bandmate, Zayn:
"There are numerous reasons why I dislike Zayn, and numerous reasons why I will always, always be on his side."
During the episode, Liam Payne claimed that Simon Cowell promised him that One Direction would be built around him, and that he "outsold" all of the other members with his 2017 Ed Sheeran-penned track "Strip That Down," which featured Quavo. Nonetheless, the members, particularly Harry Styles, have proven to be extremely successful on their own.
