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The “Strip That Down” singer then chronicled the meteoric rise to fame he would experience just two years later at 16, when One Direction was first created. “You are now famous, and it feels like you’ve peaked way too early, you cocky little bugger,” he wrote. “But you’ve barely even started yet. Take it down a notch, and remember it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
Because, while he might “feel like giving up,” there were important people waiting on the horizon. “You’re about to meet four other guys on the same track as you,” Liam added of his future bandmates. “When you first meet them, it’s going to be chaos, but just remember to enjoy yourself. Stay young at heart.”
The letter, while noting the highs of life in One Direction—Liam writing of “the most amazing time of your life”—is also honest about the lows, too. In particular, the difficulty Liam had in navigating life after the band went on hiatus in 2015.
“It will end for a while, and you will be left with nothing but the steering wheel,” he admitted. “It will feel scary like you’re alone, but you are not. You’re about to start a total new journey with the most amazing person you’ve met so far, your son Bear.”