Robbie Williams’ frequent collaborator, songwriter Guy Chambers, told the Observer, external the industry should hold back from working with performers who are under 18.
“I do think putting a 16-year-old in an adult world like that is potentially really damaging. Robbie experienced that, certainly,” he said.
Chambers added: “I know in Robbie’s case, with Take That, there wasn’t any proper protection set up to look after what were teenage boys. That was a long time ago, but I don’t see much sign of change.”
JLS star Oritse Williams, who also found fame on The X Factor, told BBC Breakfast there “isn’t enough duty of care”.
“It’s a tough, tough game and you have to have a very thick skin,” he said.
“When you haven’t lived life, to go through trials and tribulations whilst being under the spotlight is a very difficult thing. And who is there to support?”
Oritse Williams said he had been through his own problems since finding boy band fame. “You’re out there alone in this crazy, crazy world, where there are a lot of vultures. It’s tough to navigate.”
And Eoghan Quigg, who appeared on The X Factor with Payne in 2008, told 5 Live: “There needs to be more support because it’s a fickle business, especially now with social media.”
