Niall Horan fears for the future of the arts industry in the UK.
The 27-year-old singer has called on the government to do more to help support the music industry through the coronavirus pandemic, saying that some people within the sector risk being “completely left behind”.
Niall – who first found fame as part of One Direction – explained: “When you think of Britain and the British Isles, you think fashion and music and the arts and it’s just a completely forgotten-about industry in a time of need. Hard-working people from all over this country have been completely left behind.
“These guys are from all over the country with families and mortgages and don’t qualify for furlough … So they’re being literally left behind by bad governance.”
Niall is particularly concerned about the plight of touring crews, saying they’re a crucial industry in the UK.
The chart-topping singer admitted he feels duty-bound to speak out on their behalf.
He told the Guardian newspaper: “They’re just regular people who don’t don’t have a voice; so we have to be their voice.
“And if there was ever a time that our crews needed to be supported, it’s absolutely now.”
Niall likened his crew to a family and explained that they’d been hit particularly hard by the pandemic.
He said: “For an industry that makes billions for the UK to be that left behind is just absolutely beyond me. I can’t figure it out.”
Niall also confessed that his crew are crucial to his own tours.
The singer – who released his latest solo album, ‘Heartbreak Weather’, earlier this year – shared: “As much as we can’t [tour] without the fans, we definitely can’t do it without the crews. I certainly can’t put a stage up.”
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