Revisit Liam Payne’s original ‘X Factor’ audition — where he met future girlfriend Cheryl Cole
Liam Payne’s life changed forever when he auditioned for “The X Factor.”
The singer — who died Wednesday after falling from his hotel balcony at age 31 — originally appeared on the UK singing competition series in 2008, where he met his future girlfriend, Cheryl Cole. The pair dated from 2016 to 2018 and had a son named Bear.
Cole, 41, was one of the judges alongside Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh who watched a then-14-year-old Payne audition for the show for the first time.
“When I’m at school, in general, I think about singing all the time,” Payne told producers before his audition. “I should really be concentrating on my work, but I just think about singing too much. It’s a dream and I’d love to do it.”
After meeting the judges, Payne sang “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra. His rendition impressed the judges, though Cowell, 65, had some criticism.
“I think there is potential with you Liam,” he said, adding, “I’m just missing a bit of grit, a bit of emotion – and actually a bit of fun, funnily enough.”
Cole told Payne, “I like you. I think you’re really cute. I think you’ve got charisma. You give us that little chinky wink.”
All three judges gave Payne a “yes” and he walked out of the room where his family, including mom Karen and dad Geoff, celebrated that he made it to the next round in the competition.
Payne eventually reached the judges’ house stage on the show, where Cowell decided to eliminate him.
At the time, Cowell told guest judge Sinitta, “I’ve just got a horrible feeling now I am gonna seriously regret this decision.”
Two years later, Payne returned to “The X Factor” for Season 7. The 16-year-old performed Michael Buble’s Cry Me a River in front of Cole, Cowell and the other judges for his 2010 audition.
“You’ve definitely got it. Whatever it is, you’ve got it,” Cole told Payne. “And I thought your voice was really, really powerful.”
Cowell said, “That was extraordinary – I mean seriously extraordinary. The confidence, the swagger, the charisma, the believability, the voice, the way you look – absolutely on the money. On the money.”
Payne made it to the boot camp stage, where he and fellow solo artists Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Niall Horan were put into a group called One Direction.
One Direction came in third place on the show, but they went on to become one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.
They put out four albums before Malik, 31, quit the band in 2015. The rest of One Direction released a fifth album and then went on an indefinite hiatus as a group in 2016.
Payne’s first solo album post-One Direction, called “LP1,” came out in 2019.
In 2022, Payne criticized his former bandmates on Logan Paul’s podcast. He said there were “many reasons” why he disliked Malik.
The following year, Payne walked back his comments in a YouTube video after he went to rehab for addiction struggles.
“My own frustrations with my own career and where I kind of landed, I took shots at everybody else which is wrong,” the “Strip That Down” singer said. “So obviously, I want to apologize for that because that’s definitely not me.”
While Payne met Cole on “The X Factor” in 2008, they didn’t start dating until eight years later following Cole’s split from ex-husband Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini.
The singers later broke up in July 2018 but remained amicable co-parents to Bear.
While watching back his first audition in a segment for Esquire in May 2020, Payne said, “Let’s address the elephant in the room. “Obviously, the future mother of my son is sitting in that chair. This is now an episode of ‘How I Met Your Mother,’ so that’s enough of that I think.”
Payne lost his life Wednesday after plunging from his third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Medical officials confirmed Payne died of a cranial fracture and “extremely serious injuries” from the fatal fall.
First responders arrived at the hotel after receiving a an emergency call from the manager, who claimed Payne was destroying his hotel room and was under the influence of “drugs and alcohol.”
Witnesses alleged that Payne was acting “erratic” before his death. He allegedly smashed his laptop in the hotel lobby and was carried back to his room before the fall.
Photos of Payne’s hotel room showed a smashed television, a half-empty glass of what appeared to be champagne, remains of a burned candle and the burned top of a drink can.
There were also traces of a white powder that authorities will reportedly test to confirm suspicions it could be cocaine.
“The X Factor” posted a statement on X (formerly Twitter) after Payne’s death.
“We are heartbroken by the sad passing of Liam Payne. He was immensely talented and, as part of One Direction, Liam will leave a lasting legacy on the music industry and fans around the world. Our thoughts are with his friends, family and all who loved him,” the show wrote.
Payne arrived in Argentina earlier this month to see Horan’s concert on Oct. 2. Payne said on Instagram before the show that the former bandmates had things “to square up.”
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