Remembering Liam Payne: Singer's X Factor journey from first audition to One Direction fame
The singer has died at the age of 31.
Liam Payne has tragically died at the age of 31, with tributes pouring in from fans and those who worked closely with the singer over the course of his illustrious career.
The news of his death was announced on Wednesday 16th October, after he fell from the third floor of the Casa Sur hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Emergency medical services director Alberto Crescenti told the local media present that Payne had suffered "serious injuries" as a result of the fall, and that an autopsy would be carried out.
Following the news of his death, there has been an outpouring of grief across social media, including from fans who grew up following his career from his very first audition on The X Factor to being a part of band One Direction to having a successful solo career.
As tributes flood in, here is a look back on Liam Payne's career from when he first appeared on our screens over a decade ago.
2008 - Liam Payne auditions for The X Factor
Liam Payne first appeared on The X Factor when he was just 14 years old, and met judges Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Cheryl.
"A lot of people say I'm a good singer and I've got the X Factor," he told the trio of judges. "But I don't really know what the X Factor is, and I believe you guys do."
He then sung them a rendition of Fly Me to the Moon by Frank Sinatra, and after some back-and-forth between the judges, Liam made it to the Judges' Houses.
It was after performing to Simon Cowell and Sinitta that Cowell sent Liam home and told him to return two years later.
2010 - Liam Payne auditions for The X Factor a second time
Two years later, now 16, Liam returned to The X Factor once more. He performed a cover of Justin Timberlake's Cry Me a River to all three judges once more.
That year, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik had also auditioned. When it came to deciding who to bring into the next round, the judges made the decision to put them into a boy band - which would be sure to change lives.
2010 - One Direction came in third place on The X Factor
Despite being one of the biggest boy bands of a generation, One Direction didn't actually win The X Factor.
In a nail-biting final, the group performed alongside Matt Cardle and Rebecca Ferguson - in a show that was watched by 17 million viewers!
While they came in third place, Simon Cowell signed them to his label, Syco Entertainment, and they went from strength to strength from there.
2011 - One Direction release their first album of five
Their debut single, What Makes You Beautiful, shaped a generation, and shot straight to number one in the UK charts.
From there, their debut studio album, Up All Night, was released, which also features tracks such as One Thing, Moments and Gotta Be You.
2016 - One Direction announce their indefinite hiatus
During the Asia leg of the band's On the Road Again tour in 2015, it was announced that Zayn Malik would be leaving the group.
Later that year, the band released Drag Me Down, which was the first single from the fifth and final album, Made in the AM.
Liam Payne was one of the principal songwriters in One Direction, and is credited for co-writing more than half of the songs on the band's third and fourth albums, Midnight Memories and Four respectively.
After five albums, multiple worldwide tours and millions of copies sold of their work, it was announced the band would be taking an indefinite hiatus in 2016.
2017 - Liam Payne launches his solo career and releases his first single
In the years that followed after the band's split, Liam collaborated with various bands and singers as a producer and songwriter before launching his solo career.
In October 2016, Liam signed a recording contract with Republic Records, and the following year released his debut single, Strip That Down.
He later released Bedroom Floor and Get Low, in which he collaborated with Zedd.
Over the years, Liam worked with the likes of Rita Ora, J Balvin and Alesso in a series of musical collaborations.
2023 - Liam Payne announces he is working on a second album
In May 2023, Liam revealed he was working on a new album.
He told Rolling Stone: "It's been good, I'm excited to bring it out, and I definitely want to tour this time, which is unusual, because I wasn't sure I was going to tour for a long time.
"I was kind of over it a little bit, but I'm really excited to get back out on the road and go and see all the fans. It's gonna be fun."
The singer returned to music in March 2024 with the single Teardrops, written by himself, Jamie Scott and *NSYNC's JC Chasez.
Discussing the inspiration behind the single, Payne said (via NME): "Teardrops is about the vulnerability of heartbreak and the challenge of overcoming those moments.
"This song marks the start of a new beginning."
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Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Entertainment and Factual Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
