Payne apparently wasn't ready to go on tour.
The singer and his One Direction bandmates - Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan - embarked on their Where We Are Tour towards the end of last month. The 20-year-old posted some cryptic heartbreak messages on his Twitter recently and became emotional during one show, which is reportedly down to the fact that he wasn't prepared for the intensity of the tour.
"The truth is Liam wasn't ready to go on tour yet - he really needed some time to just live his life," an insider explained to British magazine Star.
"He often feels isolated on tour and that his true friends are at home."
It's not long since the boys finished their Take Me Home Tour, which concluded in November last year.
Liam had been dating Sophia Smith, but recently it was reported the pair have called it quits. They apparently got by with phone calls and Skypeing, but both felt it wasn't enough.
"He's devastated that it's over but it was for the best. They were spending too much time apart and it's only going to get worse this year - the band going on a super long tour, her getting busier with university…Too much long distance," a source told Us Weekly.
"It was draining for the both of them and led to a lot of arguments. Liam was the one who chose to end it. There was no way to maintain the relationship. He had to do it as they would never see each other and he didn't think it was fair to her."
The young star's distressing tweets included a message that claimed nobody knows him and another about letting an unnamed person go. It's thought his bandmates are concerned and eager to help him through the rough patch.
"The boys know the tour is going to be draining for them all, but they're committed to giving Liam the extra support he needs," the insider said.