EXCLUSIVE: Despite their tense rivalry during their heyday, The Wanted’s Siva Kaneswaran has paid tribute to Liam Payne, who he says was ‘wonderful’, on the second anniversary of his death
One Direction versus The Wanted was one of the most tense boyband feuds of its time. From sarcastic Twitter swipes to a bitter war of words, nobody expected their feud to blow over.
That was, however, until Tom Parker of The Wanted fell sick after being diagnosed with an inoperable grade IV glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Despite his ill health, Tom was determined to put on a show for his band’s fans, even after their 2014 split.
The band reunited after Tom’s tumour had “significantly reduced” and later held a special concert in aid of Stand Up To Cancer at The Royal Albert Hall, with Liam featuring on the line-up. Two years ago today, Liam, aged just 31, tragically died falling from the third floor of his hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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His death came two years after Tom sadly died, aged just 33. “Losing Liam felt so recent after losing Tom,” said Tom’s former bandmate, Siva Kaneswaran. He went on to add: “When Tom passed, Liam messaged online initially and paid his respects, then he came to Tom’s funeral. He was such a wonderful person, so honest and sincere.
“Then he performed at Tom’s Inside My Head Royal Albert Hall gig. You could tell he was a really sensitive young man. There are no words to describe that feeling of losing someone like Liam. I can only imagine what it was like for the fans. I still send my love to his friends and family and all the fans. His death was a big, big loss.”
These days, Siva tours around the world with his bandmate Max George, as The Wanted 2.0. While there are no plans for the band to get back together following Tom’s death, both Siva and Max perform their biggest hits to often sold-out crowds. However, he doesn’t know whether Liam’s One Direction bandmates would ever reunite.
“While Max and I are happy to be performing as The Wanted 2.0, I have no idea what the future holds for a One Direction reunion,” he commented. Instead, he wishes Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik “true happiness”. He went on to say: “All I wish for is that they’re happy, truly happy in themselves, because you could be in a situation in your life where it all looks great, on the outside, and you’re just not happy.
“I’m the same with my bandmates. I wish for people to do what they want to do and be happy doing it.” Siva says that the deaths of Tom and Liam have taught him one lesson: “Death teaches you one thing – it teaches you how to live. Go for it and follow what you truly want,” he shared.
The singer went on to say: “When you wake up in the morning, does it make you feel happy. When I wake up in the morning, I cannot wait to get in the studio, to make music, to get on stage and make people feel good, or heal in some way.”
Although there are no signs that The Wanted will reunite any time soon, Tom’s memory will live on in their music. Max and Siva also give him special nods during The Wanted 2.0 shows. Siva added: “There will always be a nod to Tom in our show. We only get one life. It’s short and so fragile, but it’s important to live in the moment, love, and do what you want. Before he passed, Tom was saying yes to two years of gigs – he was ready.”
In the weeks leading up to Tom’s death, he was performing in sold-out arenas with his bandmates, appearing on stage to perform “Gold Forever,” their closing song. Their tour was a message of solidarity. “We had some good days,” Siva said of his time in the band. He added: “We grew up with such a bond. And that was the message in our final shows with Tom – brothers.”
This message was recently echoed by Nathan, who told the Mirror: “Doing the tour with Tom, which was the last tour we did as a band, was really special. That was really special, and that was a real highlight, I think purely based on the fact that it was the first time that we all saw each other as equals. There was a lot of respect in that environment.
“And there was so much love for Tom, and it was really special to me, I suppose, to be there at that time in his life. And that felt like a real achievement, kind of helping fulfil his wish of being on stage and doing another tour. And seeing the joy that it brought to him, it all felt like that was the… the sole focus, and it wasn’t about anything else.”
Siva and Max recently performed at Girlguiding’s Big Gig at OVO Arena Wembley. Girlguiding is an organisation that Max and Siva have a close relationship with, having performed at the Big Gig last year as well. Siva said of his experience with the organisation: “We did a meet and greet in Oxford and one of the first girls that came up to us was like said she’d followed us since she was 12 and first saw us at Girlguiding’s Big Gig and it was the loudest crowd she’d ever heard.
“It’s an honour to perform for them again as Girlguiding is such a great message to the UK of teamwork and confidence, and it helps them follow their dreams. There’s so much love in Girlguiding. They’re making a change in the world, and there’s lots of service for each other, and teamwork.
“It’s like one big family. I remember walking away feeling that it was so nice after talking to one of the volunteers last time. Girlguiding has an Eco Award badge, which teaches them how to help the planet. I live in LA, and the wildfires were pretty terrifying.
“I had a fire in front of my apartment, and a lot of my friends evacuated. Climate change is a real thing. I’ve visited Indonesia and Malaysia a lot – my dad’s family is from Singapore. Around the airports in Malaysia, it used to be thick rainforests full of orangutans, and now it’s all gone – the palm trees used for palm oil. We have to get guidance from the young because they’re the custodians of the planet.”
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