Does pop exploit children? Ex-boy band superstar Liam Payne has died suddenly after a struggle with celebrity lasting 15 years. Some say that this tragedy could have been prevented.
The boy band star with the X factor
Does pop exploit children? Ex-boy band superstar Liam Payne has died suddenly after a struggle with celebrity lasting 15 years. Some say that this tragedy could have been prevented.
But for those few who live the dream, the spotlight of fame and fortune can too easily become a prison. Stalked by paparazziPhotographers who take photos of celebrities as they go about their normal lives to sell to newspapers and magazines. and hounded by the gutter press and fans, there is no turning back to a normal life.
Liam Payne, who rose to fame as a teenager after turning heads on the British talent show The X Factor, was one of fame's victims.
On Wednesday, he died falling from the balcony of his hotel room after a long struggle with fame.
Payne was a member of the superstar pop boy band One Direction created by music executive Simon Cowell to compete on The X Factor.
They played more than 300 shows, sold out four world tours, made four albums that hit No.1 on the Billboard 200, and won 28 Teen Choice Awards. But fame made heavy demands.
Payne revealed that at the height of the band's fame he had struggled with substance abuse and mental health problems.
And he is not the first victim of early celebrity. Britney Spears, Demi Lovato and Justin Bieber have all opened up about the harmful effects of early fame, from exploitation by studios to harassment by fans.
Does pop exploit children?
Yes! Children in the pop industry are treated as cash cows, made to work long hours and undergo huge stress to make a profit.
No! There are plenty of happy and well-adjusted former child stars who have continued their fruitful careers long into adulthood.
Keywords
Paparazzi - Photographers who take photos of celebrities as they go about their normal lives to sell to newspapers and magazines.
The boy band star with the X factor
Glossary
Paparazzi - Photographers who take photos of celebrities as they go about their normal lives to sell to newspapers and magazines.