The 'Strip That Down' singer has been criticized by the JLS member after saying some of his time in one of the world's biggest boybands, One Direction, was 'toxic and difficult.'

• Aug 11, 2021

AceShowbiz - Aston Merrygold has blasted Liam Payne for blaming One Direction for his mental health issues.

Liam previously revealed he found some of his time in the world's biggest boyband "toxic and difficult" and he struggled with being "locked" up in hotel rooms while on tour, but JLS singer Aston insists the singer should have understood that fame comes with a price.

"You are your own boss," he told Britain's The Sun newspaper. "It's not that you were not allowed to do something. He was in the biggest band on the planet and there were thousands of people outside the hotel. So it was probably a safety thing."

"It comes with the job. You sign away your privacy. I think you should expect everything, expect it all and say, 'This is what I want to work for.' If you don't want any of those things then you should not start it because it (the downside) does come and when it does come there are going to be bits that you don't like."

JLS and One Direction both found fame on U.K. TV show "The X Factor" and, according to Aston, being in a band is as much about business as it is about singing and performing.

"Not every single thing in life is black and white, there are going to be downsides of every job," he explained. "If you want to be an artist and go and sing you don't just have to sing, this is a business. It's the music industry. You can't just be a singer."

And he doesn't feel that JLS were ever pushed too hard, explaining, "We pushed. We pushed people as we wanted to do more. A lot of people clock off at 5 pm but I don't clock off at 5 pm. I am back on the job whenever I have to be."