#05.11.2020

Ideally, I would like Liam to make another album at some point, but I wouldn’t want him to if he didn’t feel up to it. I was out of the fandom for a while, so there is so much from the last few years that I am trying to catch up on, but I get the impression that Liam was kind of pressured to put LP1 out as it was and that he wasn’t too happy with it. And of course, there was a certain degree of backlash that came with the record, which I imagine was discouraging. I’m not sure I buy that Liam doesn’t actually have a story to tell. I think it is more likely he has a story that he doesn’t feel he can tell. Whether this is because of personal struggles or management/label issues, I can only begin to speculate, but I think there is something going on behind the scenes that is contributing to this narrative that Liam is not going to make another album. Maybe that is just wishful thinking on my part. I have been known to clown with the rest of them, but for now I plan to hold out hope. He did mention wanting to keep putting out singles. That will at least be some kind of content, which is better than nothing. Maybe while doing that he will find his voice, so to speak. I can only cross my fingers and hope for the best.

Ultimately, I have begun to suspect that Liam is suffering from some self-confidence issues that are impacting his ability to make music. He was suddenly out there alone without the other boys to make music with and got a little lost. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to say, or how to say it, wasn’t sure who he was as an artist, what kind of music he wanted to make. Then you add in all the people around him, his label, his management, etc. They have a financial investment in Liam, but that doesn’t mean they have a personal one. They don’t want to have to deal with writers block and doubts, so they say: this is what has been selling lately do that. Except that doesn’t work so well. The album doesn’t really sound like him and people fail to connect with it, plus all the controversy over Both Ways. And the person who takes the brunt of the blame for that is Liam. Not the people who pressured and pushed him to make the album in the first place. Him. And even if they didn’t blame him, and I can imagine Liam blames himself. Which makes him doubt himself even more. Depression is a very vicious cycle that is very hard to break; I speak from experience.

Again, it may be wishful thinking on my part, but I think Liam does want to make music, and he does have a story to tell. He just might not be ready to tell it yet. Personally, I think what it is going to take is going to be some drastic changes in his life. Some, if not most or even all, of the people around him have got to go. He needs to get a team that is invested in him as a person and a musician, not just a cash machine. I know that it is a business, so there will always be an element of financial gain involved in his professional relationships, but there are better people out there than what he’s got. If not better, at least smarter, someone who understands that he is a potential long term investment that will a little support in the short term will make them money for years to come.

I understand that this is all very discouraging, but I am not ready to stop clowning just yet. For now, I will just listen to the music that Liam has put out thus far and hope there is more sometime in the future. Maybe it will take a few years, (I hope not, but let’s be real) but if Liam is able to sort things out in the meantime, maybe LP2 will be the album he wants it to be and will finally feel ready to tell his story. We will just have to wait and see.