Liam Payne has apologized for his 2019 song “Both Ways,” which was criticized for coming across as biphobic.
The song, off Payne’s debut studio album, features lyrics that seem to be fetishizing bisexual women, such as “Lovin’ the way she’s turning you on, switching the lanes like a Bugatti Sport.”
The former One Directioner has finally responded to the criticisms. In an interview with the Daily Star, he apologized to “anyone who got offended by certain songs or different things on the album, for sure.”
“It was never my intention with any of the writing or things I was doing…Looking back on it now, it was just a moment in time for me,” he continued.
It isn’t the most elaborate apology in the history of celebrity apologies, but more of a hand wave and an indication that he won’t make the same mistake twice.
Payne’s debut solo album was released on December 6, 2019, so it’s unlikely we’ll see a new round of music from him soon (especially with most of the world on lockdown). But the “Strip That Down” singer seems to be hinting that when the time for album number two does come, it might not be as provocative as LP1 wound up being.
“Honestly, it wasn’t a deliberate move [to make sexual songs], it was a very confusing time for me when I was making that album,” he continued. “I was going through a lot of personal things that I didn’t speak about a lot; with song writing, stage fright, and being scared of the future.”
You can definitely make sexy songs without bringing biphobia or fetishes into the equation, but whatever Liam decides to do next, we’re rooting for him to make good choices!
