Liam Payne: Boy band star who had the X factor

Liam Payne archetypal registered connected the popular radar arsenic a fresh-faced 14-year-old, trying retired for The X Factor successful 2008.

"I should truly beryllium concentrating connected my [school] enactment but I conscionable deliberation astir singing excessively much," helium said earlier his archetypal audition, his Wolverhampton accent and heavy fringe beforehand and centre.

"It's a imagination and I'd emotion to bash it."

His rendition of Fly Me To the Moon impressed the judges, arsenic did his boyish charm - helium showed a cheeky streak erstwhile helium flashed a mid-song wink astatine Girls Aloud prima Cheryl.

But Simon Cowell wasn't rather convinced helium was ready, truthful told him to bash his GCSEs and travel backmost successful 2 years.

When Liam did conscionable that, auditioning with different classical song, Cry Me A River, successful 2010, the missing pieces were each present successful place.

As helium started singing, Cowell's eyes lit up arsenic helium registered Liam's newfound maturity and charisma.

Whatever the X origin is, Liam had it.

The judges inactive faced a pugnacious determination that twelvemonth - truthful during a treatment astir whom to save, they decided they could support 5 boys by putting them unneurotic successful a group.

Liam, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles were informed they were present a lad set - and One Direction were born.

They didn't really triumph The X Factor that year, coming 3rd down Matt Cardle and Rebecca Ferguson successful a last watched by 17 cardinal people.

But Cowell knew a bully happening erstwhile helium saw it. He signed them to his statement and, aft waiting 9 months to merchandise their debut single, they soon outpaced their rivals.

That azygous was What Makes You Beautiful, an instant popular classical that went consecutive to fig 1 - the archetypal of 4 UK chart-toppers implicit the adjacent 4 years.

Liam was formed arsenic the sensible one, and told the Guardian successful 2019 astir 1 of the group's aboriginal edifice stays.

"We’ve got plates being thrown retired the window, mattresses being ridden down the stairs, and I'm getting calls from the manager saying: 'You request to benignant it out'."

Sudden fame was a batch to instrumentality in, and he told Scott Mills connected BBC Radio 1 successful 2020 that helium was "really rather uptight astir a batch of everything that was going on" astatine that time.

"It was hard to person amusive sometimes successful that condition erstwhile determination was truthful overmuch unit loaded connected to it."

But aft astir a year, helium learned to relax. "And the much amusive we had, the much palmy it got."

One Direction inspired full-on popular mania - stadiums afloat of screaming teenage fans, thousands camping extracurricular their hotels, 70 cardinal records sold.

"I was precise confused astir fame erstwhile it each happened," he told the BBC successful 2019, "and learning to beryllium a idiosyncratic extracurricular of your occupation was difficult. But present I consciousness similar I get it. I'm a fortunate boy."

As clip went on, Liam discovered a endowment for songwriting arsenic good arsenic singing, with penning credits connected fractional of the band's last 2 albums, connected songs similar History, Steal My Girl and Story Of My Life.

Tensions successful the set bubbled up, though, arsenic the unit returned.

In 2022, Liam told Logan Paul's podcast that things had astir travel to blows. "There was 1 infinitesimal wherever determination was an statement backstage, and 1 subordinate successful peculiar threw maine up a wall," helium said, without naming the bandmate successful question.

It became wide that the extremity for One Direction was nigh. "It was truthful interaction and spell astatine each azygous show," helium said. "I was dilatory losing the plot."

Liam turned to alcohol, and continued drinking aft the set went connected "hiatus" successful 2016.

"It was precise erratic behaviour connected my portion - I was partying excessively hard," helium told the BBC.

In the post-1D world, Liam launched a solo career, with his 2017 debut azygous Strip That Down, featuring US rapper Quavo, peaking astatine fig 3 and being nominated for 2 Brit Awards.

His collaboration with Rita Ora connected the opus For You - from the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack - reached fig 8 and earned different Brit nomination.

And 8 years aft helium flirted with Cheryl arsenic a 14-year-old successful the X Factor audition room, the brace began a relationship. They had a son, Bear, successful 2017, but divided up successful 2018.

He got engaged to exemplary Maya Henry successful 2020, but they aboriginal called it off. Earlier this month, she said connected societal media that the vocalist had precocious been repeatedly sending her unwanted messages.

Following their relationship, helium had been unneurotic with US influencer Kate Cassidy since 2022.

He suffered wellness troubles successful caller years, being successful infirmary doubly successful 2023, reportedly with kidney problems.

And his solo vocation struggled to support momentum.

A comeback azygous Teardrops, released this March, missed the charts, and determination were reports that a 2nd solo medium and a documentary astir his beingness had been enactment connected hold.

That beingness communicative included much than helium could person imagined successful those archetypal teenage dreams.