British singer, 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.
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 sacked 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’.
‘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.’
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.’