DINH DOONG

The complex history between One Direction’s Liam Payne and Justin Bieber, from their chart-topping rivalry to their heartfelt reconciliation.

Image by vagueonthehow, licensed under CC BY 2.0, Image by Joe Bielawa, licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia CommonsIt has been a tragic week for fans across the world as they continue to mourn the loss of one of the music world’s most loved stars, One Direction member Liam Payne. Having lost his life after falling from his hotel room’s balcony in Argentina, the star was just 31 and leaves behind his 7-year-old son Bear.Liam Payne | Credit: Teardrops recording / YouTube

In the midst of his passing, several celebrities have joined in to pay tribute to the late star. Most recently, even his ‘old rival’ Justin Bieber posted a heartfelt tribute. Apparently rivals for years, the two had later made up, and here is what started their ‘rivalry’ and ‘fan wars’.

A Look at Liam Payne and Justin Bieber’s Rivalry

Justin Bieber | Credit: Image by Lou Stejskal-CCA-SA 3.0-Wikimedia Commons

Liam Payne and Justin Bieber are two of the music world’s biggest stars of all time. While Payne reached skyrocketing popularity thanks to One Direction, Bieber did it alone as a solo artist. Given their surge in popularity at almost the same time, both the band and group shared the same faction of fans.

However, it all went down when during the One Direction days a video of Payne surfaced where he made some alleged cruel remarks against the Canadian singer. And so, their chart rivalry turned into real life, starting fan wars and fan hate campaigns between the two fandoms.

But in 2022, during an appearance on the IMPAULSIVE podcast, Payne revealed what started their beef and how he resolved it.

Liam Payne on the IMPAUSIVE podcast | Credit: YouTube

I was like, ‘well the only thing between me and him is I haven’t been arrested’… It started some beef.

Drunk when having made the statement, he later revealed how he had a chat with him at one award ceremony to resolve the matter. Noting that Bieber had grown as a person, Payne stated,

I’ve always felt for you… number one, I’ve done all the things that you’ve done and I’ve never been caught for any of them… number two, I’ve always really felt for you, mate, and I think in our situation we all suffer from the same disease.

Payne elaborated that Bieber had it more difficult since he was a solo artist while he had his One Direction bandmates to fall back on. Later, the Strip That Down singer recalled the Baby hitmaker commenting— Bro, that’s given me chills, after their reconciliation talk. From then on, the two became friends, ending their rivalry for good.

Justin Bieber Pays Tribute to Liam Payne

Justin Bieber too paid tribute to Liam Payne | Credit: Liam Payne / YouTube

While their rivalry ended years ago, Justin Bieber and Liam Payne became good friends, with the One Direction star even speaking about Bieber and praising him in various interviews. After Payne’s untimely death due to a tragic fall from his hotel room in Argentina. Bieber was among the many stars who paid tribute to him.

Resharing an Instagram reel in his stories, the Ghost singer wrote ‘Rest easy, Liam‘ with a broken heart emoji. The reel he shared featured a video of tributes and messages that were laid by fans in the wake of Payne’s passing and had a voiceover stating,

Just remember, you are allowed to grieve as a fan. You are allowed to love someone you have never met. You are allowed to admire someone for their art. You are allowed, to cry, to break, to feel like a part of you is gone.

After Bieber shared the heartfelt message, several fans took to social media to reflect on how Payne’s tragic passing would have affected the singer, for he too dealt with drug addiction and more (via X). As the world continues to mourn Liam Payne, his passing has left a tragic void in all our hearts, one that cannot be filled with no amount of time.