As tributes pour in for former One Direction member Liam Payne following his death on Wednesday after falling from a hotel balcony at 31, fans have been looking back at the singer’s time in the popular boyband. Even more so, how he got to that point. Before One Direction was even One Direction, all five members, Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, and Niall Horan, auditioned for The X Factor in the U.K. For Payne, his long journey started back in 2008.
According to People, Payne auditioned for the competition series for the first time in 2008 when he was just 18 years old. He performed “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra, and while Simon Cowell, who would later go on to help form and sign One Direction, felt there was “20%” missing, Payne got three yeses, including one from future baby mama Cheryl, as well as Louis Walsh. Unfortunately, his journey came to an end during the Judges’ Houses after Cowell felt the late star wasn’t ready.
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Fast forward two years to when his life would change. Payne returned to The X Factor and auditioned with “Cry Me A River” by Justin Timberlake, wowing all four judges to get four yeses. However, he didn’t make it through the boot camp for the “Boys” category but was among the faces being considered for groups. Cowell and guest judge Nicole Scherzinger put their heads together to form a new group, including Payne, Tomlinson, Styles, Malik, and Horan.
The five, naming themselves One Direction, became an instant fan-favorite and heartthrobs. They didn’t end up winning, though, but they came in third place and wound up as one of the biggest boybands in the world. They put out five studio albums together, along with two theatrical concert films. After they announced their break in 2016, Liam Payne’s solo career consisted of one album, LP1, that released in 2019, and numerous singles. His final single, “Teardrops,” released in March of this year.
It’s certainly incredible to see just how much changed between his two auditions on The X Factor, as he likely had no idea he was going to be in one of the biggest boybands ever. It’s sad to see how it all turned out years after One Direction, but fans will always have his music and the concert films to keep his memory alive, as well as any memories they have during One Direction’s peak.
