Liam Payne’s New Accent Defended By John Barrowman: ‘Why Does It Matter?’

Liam Payne’s new accent has been defended by John Barrowman after the former One Direction star spoke about the dramatic moment Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars.

Viewers of The Academy Award ceremony were recently left baffled at the singer’s accent as he spoke about the incident, and now British-American actor Barrowman has jumped to his defence.

The Doctor Who star, who is well-known for switching between American and Scottish accents himself, tweeted: “Why does it matter how a person speaks. He is who he is”. 

Barrowman’s comments come as ITV’s Good Morning Britain dedicated a segment to decoding the Strip It Down hitmaker’s accent.

Presenter Richard Madeley explained that he didn’t even recognise the star, while a dialect coach on the show said she could pick out at least five different accents in his speech, which ranged included “Irish and Welsh” as well as “something really alien”.

Likewise, viewers of the morning show were just as confused by Wolverhampton-born Payne’s accent, with one social media user tweeting: “Watching @GMB and what the hell has happened to Liam Payne’s accent?!”

“He has an American twang but at times he sounds like he isn’t even English!”

Accent coach Luke Nicholson, speaking on behalf of youth travel operator Contiki, has said Payne's new accent may be a result of his globetrotting lifestyle and having friends from different parts of the world.

He said: "Our accents reflect our identity. Given Liam's extensive travelling, it's not surprising that his speech sounds more international these days.

"It's also important to note that our accents change depending on who we are talking to (linguists call this 'accommodation'). Having friends from different parts of the globe may well influence the way he speaks."