Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of death.
In the wake of Liam Payne’s tragic and unfortunate passing at 31, The X Factor, the reality show which led to the formation of One Direction, took to social media to mourn the loss of the former band member.
Payne, who was one among the five members grouped together on The X Factor to form One Direction, initially auditioned on the show two times as a solo artist.
“We are heartbroken by the sad passing of Liam Payne,” the X Factor wrote in a statement after Payne’s unfortunate passing. “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,” they added.
“Our thoughts are with his friends, family and all who loved him,” the reality show concluded.
Liam Payne first auditioned for The X Factor in 2008 during the fifth season of the show, nearly two years before the formation of One Direction on the same show.
A 14-year-old Payne performed Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me to the Moon in front of judges Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, Cheryl Cole and Dannii Minogue during the first round of the audition.
While he moved on to the next stage, Payne was cut at the Boot Camp round of the show. However, Cowell had a change of heart and asked Payne to return for the judges’ houses stage.
Unfortunately, the-then teen singer failed to impress the judges on the third stage. Cowell then asked Payne to “come back in two years.”
Payne remembered Cowell’s words and returned to The X Factor for a re-audition during the seventh season of the show in 2010. He performed a soulful rendition of Michael Bublé version of Cry Me a River and earned not only 4 yeses from the judges but also a standing ovation from Cowell.
While Liam Payne was eventually considered one of the two contestants having the potential to win the show, he failed to make it through the “Boys” category at the judges’ houses round.
However, guest judge Nicole Scherzinger suggested that Payne, along with Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan should be brought together to form a five-piece boy band.
The group came together during the bootcamp round of the competition at Wembley Arena and successfully qualified in the “Groups” category.
The boys were then grouped for two weeks to practice for the next round and get familiar with each other. Payne, alongside Malik, Styles, Tomlinson and Horan performed an acoustic version of Ednaswap’s Torn in the judges’ house round and won over the judges.
One Direction garnered immense popularity in the UK during The X Factor (2010) and the group, including Payne, eventually finished the show on third place. The group went on to become a phenomenon and is considered one of the most popular boy bands in the world of all time.
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