Former JLS member JB Gill reveals what Liam Payne 'wanted' to do before joining One Direction
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: JB Gill, a former member of the boy band JLS, revealed what his "good friend" Liam Payne wanted to do before becoming famous, just days after the singer's tragic death at 31.
Gill, who met the One Direction star during an audition for 'The X Factor' in 2008, recalled that Payne initially stepped forward as a solo act but was ultimately cut during the tough bootcamp round.
The news of Payne's unexpected death while vacationing in Buenos Aires with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, has left the internet in mourning
JB Gill calls Liam Payne his 'a very good friend'
During a recent appearance on 'Strictly Come Dancing' with professional dancer Amy Dowden, Gill expressed his wish to dance to one of Liam Payne's songs as a tribute to the late singer.
He said, “If there’s an opportunity, I’d love to do it [dance to one of his songs]. It'd be an incredible tribute. He was a very good friend, we literally met him when he was starting his journey out.”
Gill went on to discuss Payne’s ambitions, revealing, “He wanted to be in JLS, to be honest. But when he got knocked out at boot camp, We said, ‘Just keep going, keep working hard, you'll get your chance’. I'm obviously glad that he was able to do that.”
Reflecting on Payne’s death, Gill shared, “I don't know all the ins and outs... But one of the things I've taken as a silver lining is that he was actually able to do what he set out to do, which was to sing and share his voice with the world.”
He added, “I think it's something that anyone who knew him, even his fans, will be able to take away from this incredibly sad situation.”
JB Gill highlights difference between him and Liam Payne
Gill then began to discuss the pressures of being in a boy band. He highlighted the maturity difference between himself and Liam Payne, noting that it made a "massive difference."
He shared, “When we were going through that process (of the X-Factor), we were slightly older than the One Direction boys. I'd already been to university, I'd already had a bit of world experience. And that makes a massive difference.”
He added, “I don't personally disagree with having a child star, but I do disagree with not being able to nurture them and protect them, and especially if they're individual. The relationship we [JLS] have with each other, we look after each other. That doesn't always happen in every group.”
“It's not always down to the members, but certainly to the people who are managing and the labels and the people who are kind of championing the group and championing the people who are on that stage, you have to look after them,” he continued, reported DailyMail.
“It's one thing I've never really understood about the industry, because artists sometimes are seen as commodities or assets, or whatever you want to call it. And it does sound bad, but at the end of the day, it makes no sense not to protect that. So we have to definitely change the way that we approach certain things and how we look after people,” he further added.
