Liam Payne Music Career Lookback_ One Direction & Beyond
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00:00Singer Liam Payne, who came to fame with the beloved boy band One Direction, has died at the age of 31.
00:06The musician was found dead after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina on October 16th, local officials confirmed, per multiple outlets.
00:13In the wake of Liam's passing, Access Hollywood is looking back on his music career over more than a decade, including his journey with One Direction.
00:20Liam first auditioned for the British talent competition series The X Factor in 2008, when he was just 14 years old.
00:28I'm here to win. A lot of people have said I'm a good singer, I've got The X Factor.
00:31I don't really know what The X Factor is, and I believe that you guys do.
00:34Liam went on to the next round, but was eliminated before the live shows.
00:37However, he didn't give up on his dream and auditioned again two years later.
00:41I feel like today is my chance to prove to Simon that I have got what it takes.
00:44It'd mean more than anything to get a yes off Simon today.
00:47His powerful performance of Crimea River won over the judges, including Simon Cowell.
00:53Absolutely incredible. One massive, fat, almighty yes.
00:58In the boot camp round of the show, he and fellow competitors Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik
01:04were chosen by the judges to continue as a group instead of as soloists, and One Direction formed.
01:09This one? Right here. Yes, absolutely.
01:12He was the standout audition.
01:15I think that he would definitely shine. He could actually maybe be the leader.
01:191D was a smash success on the series, coming in third place.
01:22They quickly went on to become global superstars, releasing their hit debut single What Makes You Beautiful in 2011
01:28and following it with their first album, Up All Night.
01:30Liam and his bandmates toured across the world and put out three more albums over the next three years, with many songs Liam co-wrote.
01:361D became one of the all-time best-selling boy bands, winning multiple VMAs, Billboard Music Awards and American Music Awards.
01:43When Zayn Malik left the group in 2015, Liam continued on with Harry, Louis and Niall.
01:48They put out one more album, Made in the A.M., before going on hiatus, which ended up being a permanent split.
01:53Liam's life post-1D also was still all about music. He put out work as a producer and as a solo artist.
01:59He released his debut solo single, Strip That Down, featuring Quavo, in May of 2017
02:04and released Get Low and Bedroom Floor later that year.
02:07At that year's Jingle Ball, Liam told Access Hollywood about when fans could expect more.
02:11We see a lot of video of you in the studio online, so when are we going to hear what you're doing?
02:16I just stand in studios and pretend I'm doing stuff all the time.
02:19We've been working a lot, and the thing is, there's a lot of different things moving around at the moment.
02:23The industry's changed a lot in the way that things are timed these days.
02:26You don't really have to stick to a structure of, this is when the album's coming out anymore.
02:29You can just drop whatever you want, whenever you want. It's really accessible and nice. It's good.
02:33Liam also told Access how life was more laid back after years of a rigorous touring schedule with the band.
02:38You guys never really had time to relax and see the world. Now that you're doing you...
02:42I went out bowling the other day, which was quite fun. It was awful.
02:45I know, at least you had a chance to figure it out.
02:47I know, it was good. I went out bowling. I do a lot more going out and stuff now. It's not as crazy as it used to be.
02:52Liam ended up putting out his debut solo album, LP1, two years later in 2019.
02:57More standalone singles followed. They also featured on Alesso's song, Midnight.
03:01And Alesso told Access why Liam was perfect for the track.
03:04When I was sitting on this song, it's like your own baby, you're careful, who can sing this?
03:11And then I heard Liam's version and it was just like next level and it really lifts the record.
03:17Just last year, Liam told IFL TV that he was working on his sophomore album, sharing of the time.
03:35Liam had a tour planned for later that year, but postponed the dates after being hospitalized for a kidney infection.
03:40His final single before his passing was the March 2024 track, Teardrops.
03:44Among the fans of Liam's music is the seven-year-old son, Bear.
03:47Back in 2020, Liam told Access how the then three-year-old had the final say on his tracks.
03:52He used to be like my decider of whether the song was going to like sink or swim.
03:55Because when like Familiar and Different Things came out, he was like doing the full-on baby rave in the house and whatever.
04:00I was like, it's really cute, actually.
04:02I went over one time about a couple of months ago now and I was babysitting because she'd gone out somewhere to somebody's party.
04:11And he was like, put music on.
04:13And I was like, okay, we'll put some music on.
04:15So I went over and started turning the music on.
04:16I put like a song on and it was one I thought was one of his favorites.
04:19He was like, oh no, this is not daddy's music.
04:22And I was like, what do you mean?
04:23He was like, it's not daddy's music.
04:24And I was like, he's like, play daddy's music.
04:26And as soon as I started playing, stack it up, whatever, he's dancing around the house.
04:29And I thought, this is just the best thing ever.
04:32It's so good.