Remembering Liam Payne, One Year After His Tragic Death
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The X Factor UK family is currently mourning the loss of One Direction member Liam Payne. The singer passed away on October 16, 2024 after falling off a hotel balcony. Let’s look back at Payne’s rise to stardom, relationships, as well as his demise.
Liam Payne Rose to Fame as Part of One Direction on The X Factor UK
Payne first took The X Factor UK stage in 2008 when he auditioned for the fifth season of the show. In front of judges Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, Dannii Minogue, and Louis Walsh, Payne sang “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra. He progressed past the audition round, but got eliminated after Bootcamp. Cowell then changed his mind, brought Payne back for Judges Houses, then told him to “come back in two years.”
In 2010, Payne took the stage again, performing for the same judges with the addition of guest Natalie Imbruglia. This time, he sang Michael Bublé’s rendition of “Cry Me a River.” He then advanced in the competition but was not placed in the “boys” category during Judges Houses.
Instead, during Bootcamp, he was placed together with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik. The group finished in third place overall in the competition, behind Rebecca Ferguson, and winner Matt Cardle.
In January 2011, One Direction was signed to Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment. They released their debut single “What Makes You Beautiful” as well as their debut studio album Up All Night in the same year. Their first album debuted at No. 1 in the United States while their next four albums Take Me Home, Midnight Memories, Four, Made in the A.M. debuted at number one in the UK. The group also held the highest grossing tour of 2014 with their Where We Are Tour.
In March 2015, Zayn Malik left the group. In turn, Payne took over Malik’s vocals. He was credited for co-writing more than half the songs on One Direction’s third and fourth albums. Apparently, Payne was among the top earners of One Direction, alongside Louis Tomlinson.
One Direction then announced an indefinite hiatus in 2016. In total, the group sold 70 million records worldwide, including 7.6 million albums and 26 million singles in the US. They were one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.
Payne Went Solo After One Direction’s Collapse
While One Direction was still producing music, Payne began working as a music producer under the name “Big Payno” or “Payno.” Following the band’s collapse, he began releasing solo music. In October 2016, he signed a recording contract with Republic Records. His first solo single “Strip That Down” was a commercial success, reaching No. 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on the UK singles chart.
He later released his first album in December 2019. Between album releases, Payne continued releasing singles, like “Midnight,” “Sunshine,” and more. In 2023, the singer began working on his second album, as well as a solo tour. The tour was postponed due to the singer being hospitalized with a kidney infection.
In 2024, he returned to music with single “Teardrops.” Another song featuring Payne was set to come out, but it was paused due to it “not being ready.”
In his personal life, Payne was linked to The X Factor UK judge Cheryl Cole. The pair had their son, Bear on March 22, 2017. He was also linked to model Maya Henry, whom he began dating in 2019, and got engaged to in 2020. The couple then separated and reunited and got engaged again. From October 2022 until his death, he was in a relationship with influencer Kate Cassidy.
