'Record industry has a lot to answer for' over Liam Payne's death

Ronan Keating knows all too well the pressures young musicians face when they are members of an industry-manufactured pop group.

The multi-award-winning Irish singer got his start with boyband, Boyzone, before branching out with a successful solo career in the late '90s, which has led to numerous other hit albums and several international tours.

But following the news of former One Direction singer Liam Payne's death last month, Keating suggested the tragedy could have been prevented.

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Payne, 31, died after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina, with early toxicology reports finding he had several drugs in his system at the time of his death.

"I think the record industry has a lot to answer for," Keating told Today.

"They need to protect people, more young artists coming through. I was 16 when I started and we didn't get any media training. We didn't get any support whatsoever and I'm pretty sure it was a similar situation for the guys in One Direction."

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Payne's battle with alcohol and drug addiction was well-publicised after One Direction split in 2016, but Keating said people could not speculate what mental state he was in at the time of his death.

"It's hard to know what's going on in these kids' heads, really what's going on in their lives," he said.

"It's such a dramatic change in your life and what social media does to people as well nowadays, it's incredibly dangerous."

Hear Dickie's full chat with Ronan Keating in the video above