“Don’t let under-18s join pop bands,” says leading songwriter after Liam Payne’s death | Music industry

Under-18s should not be pushed into pop stardom, one of Britain's leading songwriters has said following the tragic death of former One Direction star Liam Payne.

When Payne's father Geoff arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to arrange the repatriation of his son's body, fans were still watching the news of the 31-year-old's fall from a third-floor hotel balcony. Many also joined Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy, an ex-partner, in denouncing the lurid coverage of Payne's death scene in some news outlets.

Guy Chambers, the songwriter and friend of Robbie Williams, called on the industry to refrain from working with talent under the age of 18 in a speech this weekend. “I do think that putting a 16-year-old in an adult world” is potentially really harmful. Robbie definitely experienced that,” he told the observer.

The need for better protection for vulnerable young male pop stars has gained urgency following Payne's death, sparked by criticism of the music industry's treatment of the former teen star, who had spoken of his difficulties finding mental stability after his sudden teenage fame as a member by One Direction.

The band was formed on ITV The X factor In 2010, 16-year-old Payne returned for a second audition on the talent show, joining Harry Styles and company. One of the show's judges was Tweedy, with whom he later had a child, Bear, who is now seven years old. Payne first auditioned for the show when she was just 14 years old.

Louis Theroux, executive producer of the upcoming BBC series Boy bands forever spoke of the dangers of “getting everything you dreamed of and it not being what you imagined.”

Theroux's new series, which will air on BBC2 in the middle of next month and was filmed with his wife Nancy Strang, looks at both the dramatic heights of instant fame and the contrasting depths of despair it can trigger. Featuring “piercingly honest” contributions from Williams, formerly of Take That, and Westlife's Brian McFadden, it focuses on the early years of the boy band phenomenon in Britain and Ireland, from the 1990s to the late 2000s.

Speaking about his year-long work on the show, Theroux said that the artists will talk about their “ups and downs” in three episodes, which will focus on “a generation of young men and their managers who are extremely successful and also extremely were vulnerable and the…” times of their lives and in some cases, that they were breaking down.”

Due to Payne's death, the issues explored in the series have already prompted leading names in the UK music industry to urge action.

Chambers said: “I have four children, so I think about it a lot. I know that in Robbie's case at Take That there was no adequate protection for the care of teenage boys. That was a long time ago, but I don't see much sign of change. There isn't much more care that I've seen from the people involved in the big TV talent shows.”

Chambers, who co-wrote the hits “Angels” and “Let Me Entertain You” with Williams, believes the entertainment industry should raise the bar: “I would suggest that people shouldn't join a boy band until they're 18, and the industry should stick to it.” , too.”

These concerns are shared by Mike Smith, the former music industry chief at Warner/Chappell who also worked at EMI and Columbia. “I'm not sure it's something for the legislature, but the longer a young person can put off a career in music, the better,” he said.

“Of course there's nothing wrong with starting a band in your teens, but I admire anyone who comes out of an early professional career in good mental health. I once signed a young Irish band called Strypes and I was uncomfortable with the level of responsibility I felt. People are still immature at 16, so just the thought of going through all this madness when you have no idea who you are is alarming.”

However, Smith, who has worked with many bands and singers including Blur, Robbie Williams, Supergrass and Arctic Monkeys, as well as the X factor Winner Matt Cardle believes there is now a lot more caution in dealing with young singers and songwriters.

“When I was at Warners in 2018, we improved that. We created a fund in our songwriters' contracts to cover their mental health care, as about 25% of them suffered from anxiety or depression – and that wasn't even the frontline pop stars.

“At the time, all the major music companies were doing similar relief efforts: putting people on the payroll to advise artists and their employees. I know it wasn't soon enough for Robbie, but it's better now, partly because we're talking about it.

“I don’t think I really understood it before. What hasn't changed, of course, is the incredible pressure these young artists are under. Everyone expects you to live your best life, but then you realize you can't function. People want you to be happy all the time, and you’re constantly under scrutiny.”