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By the time the Anglo-Irish pop quintet One Direction was formed, apparently the brainchild of both guest judge Nicole Scherzinger (of The Pussycat Dolls fame) and the popular Simon Cowell on The X Factor reality TV competition, I was nearly 20, having surrounded myself with the music of  other similar groups including Boyzone, Westlife, Sugababes, and ‘N Sync. I don’t consider myself a “Directioner”, but if at all, a fan in my extended family and a former Australian lecturer mentioned them, somewhere in 2010-2013 -enough for me to take note of their impact in terms of who consumes what and in what capacity do fans and non-fans consume these. It’s easy to get hooked to their songs “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Steal My Girl” and not help but notice the parallels between their songs and the songs of the native Liverpool “The Beatles”, but because I remained a casual listener of their songs, I’ve never really paid much attention to their other songs, especially “Night Changes”.

Initially auditioning solo each for The X Factor but with all failing to advance at a later stage in the show, the five-piece band consisted of Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne. Zayn Malik exited the group in 2015, making the others in the group reconsider their positions and stakes. In 2016, it was announced that the band was going on an indefinite hiatus, in order not to tire themselves and the fans alike.

It was Liam Payne who wrote more than half of the songs, when he was still part of the group, which are the idols of many, especially teens. Not that I’m minus-ing out the effort of the other members.

Later on, with Zayn Malik pursuing his own solo career, the others followed suit.

It’s difficult for me to imagine that I am now I writing this, especially after re-watching Liam Payne’s cover version of Michael Bublé’s Cry Me A River, which he picked to sing for his audition on The X Factor in 2010. Payne had earlier auditioned in 2008 for the same show when he was 14.

Liam Payne died suddenly on 17 October 2024, following an extension to his stay in Argentina, after having attended his former bandmate’s Niall Horan’s concert in the Spanish-speaking country earlier this month.

Apart from a history of kidney infections, Liam Payne had his fair share of drug and alcohol (ab)use, and had been in and out of treatment and rehab programmes – something not unlike others who are in the stage and music industry.
 

Payne leaves behind a seven-year-old son as a result of his relationship with Cheryl, of Girls Aloud fame. Along with his gifted voice for fans and non-fans alike, Payne leaves behind his parents and sisters.

For now, let’s listen to a few of his songs, shall we?

Teardrops by Liam Payne is guaranteed to bring you back to the ‘90s, with the song being written by a team including Liam Payne and former ‘N Sync member JC Chasez. Fans of ‘N Sync will somehow notice the parallels between some of their songs including “Tearing Up My Heart” as well as Justin Timberlake’s “Mirrors”. While the chorus is surely infectious, the post-chorus has successfully stuck with me, and it reads:

Tell me is there

Any room to love you

Any room to hold you

Any room to love you

Any room to hold you

Any room to love you, love you

Any room to hold you

Polaroid by Jonas Blue, Liam Payne and Lennon Stella – Heck, I rarely like songs that are within the electronic genre, but I have to admit this song is yet another infectious one. It was only after Payne’s passing that I got around to enjoying this song again. Jonas Blue is an English deejay and record producer, and Lennon Stella is a Canadian singer-actress.  

Strip That Down by Liam Payne ft. Quavo

To signify his first solo as well as exit from One Direction or 1D, he sings:

You know I used to be in 1D

People want me for one thing

(That’s not me)

Ed Sheeran also provided uncredited vocals for the song.

Night Changes by the former One Direction

Listening to the acoustic version, I can see how the members of the group felt while performing. The melody somehow matches the mellow feel of the song. And how about I end this post with:

Does it ever drive you crazy
Just how fast the night changes
Everything that you ever dreamed of

Disappearing when you wake up

But there’s nothing to be afraid of

Even when the night changes

*The article earlier appeared with the wrong date of demise. This detail has been corrected.