The world spent this past weekend mourning the tragic death of Liam Payne, the former One Direction singer who died at the age of 31. We’re here to help you honor his life and legacy by looking back at some of the defining moments of his impressive career.
The X Factor
Payne’s rise to prominence started when he was just 14 years old, with an audition on the singing competition The X Factor in 2008. He didn’t make it far the first time around, but judge Simon Cowell was so impressed by the young singer that he encouraged him to return two years later when he found major success in the “Group” category after forming a boy band with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik.
One Direction
Once The X Factor wrapped up, One Direction signed a deal with Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment and started their world domination in 2010. Over the course of the next six years together, they released five studio albums by each other’s side and grew into one of the best-selling boy bands in history, with 70 million records sold worldwide.
Solo Career
One Direction went on hiatus in 2016, and its members started working on their solo music – including Payne. His debut single “Strip That Down” ft. Quavo was a major success, and it set the stage for his debut solo album LP1, which came out in 2019 and featured collaborations with Rita Ora, Zedd, and J Balvin.