Liam Payne takes a swipe at One Direction in debut solo single Strip That Down

The 23-year-old is the last of the band to release his own material 
Hitting out: Liam Payne takes a swipe at One Direction in his new song
BBC Radio 1
Jennifer Ruby19 May 2017
The Weekender

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Liam Payne appears to take aim at his band One Direction in his first ever solo single, Strip That Down.

The British pop star sings about “being free” in the eagerly-awaited new track, which debuted on Radio 1 on Friday morning.

Lyrics to the hip hop –inspired track leaked on Thursday evening, including: “I’ve been taking some time and I’ve been keeping to myself/ I’ve had my eyes up on the prize/Ain’t watching anybody else.

“I used to be in 1D now I’m out free/ People want me for one thing but that’s not me,” he continues.

Payne was less than complimentary about Harry Styles’ new album, which was released last week.

“Harry’s song I heard, and I’ll be honest with you...it’s not my sort of music. It’s not something I’d listen to,” he told Music Source.

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“Niall had Slow Hands out and he had This Town, which is great, and Niall’s gone down the singer-songwriter route, which is really cool.”

Payne is the last of the One Direction boys to release solo material, saying that he has been “working hard in the studio” for over a year.

“I’ve come a long way since our One Direction debut and I hope everyone likes my new sound as much as I do,” he said.

Payne and girlfriend Cheryl, who was the first person to hear the song, welcomed baby Bear into the world in March.

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