Liam Payne’s rise as a boy band star, his reinvention as a solo artist and the pressures of fame. Originally broadcast 11/3/24 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chapter 1: What was Liam Payne's early experience with fame?
When One Direction came on the scene, they were the biggest of the big. They were the resurgence of the boy band, and they were five teenage heartthrobs.
One Direction was cute, charismatic, likable. These are things that really matter with the boy band.
Chapter 2: How did One Direction change the boy band landscape?
One Direction was a boy band on steroids. They were on top of the world. The teenage girls were in love with them. Their moms were in love with them. The boys wanted to be them. It just seemed like everybody loved One Direction.
There's nothing like the taste of success. Nothing like the feeling of being adored. And if you're insecure in any way, that feeling must be unbelievable. It's a lot to take on. It's a huge responsibility for anybody to take on.
One of the first times Liam took center stage was during X Factor. They sang Coldplay's Viva La Vida.
I used to rule the world. They were like puppies.
They were so small and young and cute.
So you had Harry, Niall, Zayn, Liam and Louis. Liam initially stood out as the best singer and he was also the one with the most experience on stage so he ended up kind of being the group's leader.
Yeah. Three, two, one.
And we're One Direction. I went on X Factor when I was 14. And from that moment on, I knew I wanted to do this as a career. So I kind of got myself ready for it.
They couldn't dance. They didn't try to dance. It was kind of as a joke. And they were so unlike any version of a boy band that had existed before.
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Chapter 3: What challenges did Liam face during his rise to fame?
It was very playful, very loving, and sweet. But then the tone shifts.
You know, fans started to get worried about his behavior and some of his interactions, especially at Niall Horan's concert.
Kate's been talking on social media and to friends that she intended to go to Argentina for a few days, but it went into the couple of weeks, and that she really wanted to be home.
She actually uploaded the moment that she left Argentina. Travel from South America back to Florida with me.
I landed in Miami at like 6 AM, and I was really expecting a nice sunrise, but nope, we got clouds.
So she was ready to go home, and Liam Payne stays behind in Buenos Aires in Argentina.
Like hours before he died, before he fell to his death, he was posting on Snapchat photos of them vacationing in Buenos Aires together, making it look like she was still there.
A lovely day here in Argentina. This is the breakfast table.
People saw him in the lobby acting bizarrely. One guy saw him smash his laptop. Another guy saw him acting bizarrely and having hotel workers escort him back up to his room. So there were a lot of question marks leading up to that night.
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Chapter 4: What were the circumstances surrounding Liam's final days?
ABC News was able to confirm that security cameras in the hotel showed Liam sleeping in the lobby.
Those cameras twice showing Payne holding a bottle of whiskey. At one point, staff using an escort app to call two women to the hotel. Payne offering them 5,000 US dollars but did not pay them.
The hotel called the police, said that there was a man who was intoxicated and possibly in danger to himself. They were concerned. The police were on their way. It appears to be a very tragic, intoxicated accident.
Casa Sur, Palermo. We need someone urgent because I don't know if the guest's life is at risk. He has a balcony and well, we are a little afraid that he will do something that will put him in danger.
Listening to the 911 call between the hotel manager and the dispatcher, it was very clear that the manager was very, very concerned about Liam's well-being. It was very obvious that he felt like something serious was going to happen. He mentioned that he believed Liam to be intoxicated. He also pointed out that there was likely a balcony in the room that he was in.
Finally tonight, the shocking sudden death of Liam Payne.
Former One Direction member Liam Payne has died at 31. Authorities say he fell from three floors up.
Fans are gathering outside that hotel as others weigh in from around the world.
When I first saw the photos from Liam's hotel room, it just kind of makes you realize that, you know, we are fans of these artists or of any celebrity, but we don't really know what is happening in their day-to-day life. We saw candles, we saw a white substance, we saw like pieces of foil.
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Chapter 5: How did social media influence One Direction's success?
Chapter 6: What impact did the X Factor have on Liam's career?
Fans are gathering outside that hotel as others weigh in from around the world.
When I first saw the photos from Liam's hotel room, it just kind of makes you realize that, you know, we are fans of these artists or of any celebrity, but we don't really know what is happening in their day-to-day life. We saw candles, we saw a white substance, we saw like pieces of foil.
You see a TV that looks like it's been bashed in, completely destroyed. It's just a room of chaos. And it really kind of illustrates a horrific picture of what the last moments of Liam Payne's life looked like. I think everyone's still trying to piece together what exactly happened. It's interesting because we're learning so much more about Liam now after his untimely passing.
And I think one of the things that we're learning is how he struggled with getting fame so young and so early.
At this stage in my life, like what even is normal anymore? It's like, you know, for the majority of it, My life's really abnormal. To the outside world, it seems that I've got everything I need. But, you know, in a lot of circumstances, there's so many different parts that are missing, and uncertainty is a big thing in my life, because I don't know how long this is going to last for.
I don't think any of us can put ourselves in a position of fame at the level of One Direction. There's gonna be a level of emotional stress and pressure that starts to seep into your psyche.
When we were in the band, the best way to secure us because of how big it got was just lock us in our rooms. And of course, what's in the room? Mini bar. So at a certain point, I thought, well, I'm going to have a party for one. And that just seemed to carry on throughout many years of my life.
And then you look back, how long you've been drinking and stuff, and you're like, Jesus Christ, that's a long time. Even for someone who's, you know, as drunk as I was.
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Chapter 7: How did Liam cope with the pressures of fame?
Chapter 8: What legacy did One Direction leave behind?
It was almost scientifically engineered for a 14-year-old girl's heart.
Their target audience was obviously young girls. I mean, it's actually the first line of the song. You're insecure.
You're insecure. Don't know what for.
And here were these five dream date boys basically saying, like, whatever it is that you don't like about yourself, that's great. That's what makes you cool. That's what makes you beautiful.
The lyrics are so catered to girls that don't get attention regularly, who felt like they were sort of invisible. I still remember, you know, we would all like write those lyrics and paint the lyrics and they meant so much to us. Just the message of somebody sees you.
It was like the first time that I think Gen Zers had a group to look up to the way that we had groups to look up to.
No matter what generation you came up in, there was a boy band. The Jackson 5, you had New Edition, you had the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC.
It's always a cliche in this industry. It has been from day dot. You know, the boy band, they're pretty, they've got that it factor about them, and girls just love it. It's your marketing dream.
Causing the kind of screaming that we haven't seen since the Beatles. The most popular band on the planet, One Direction.
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