From cheeky 14-year-old to global star: the rise and tragic death of Wolverhampton's Liam Payne

"I should really be concentrating on my work but I just think about singing too much. It's a dream, I'd love to do it."

And with a cheeky wink at Cheryl Cole in the middle of his version of Frank Sinatra's Fly Me To The Moon, the boy from Bushbury had the entire judging panel eating out of his hand. Even at the tender age of 14 he demonstrated an uncanny knack for playing to the crowd.

Yet is it fair to say that nobody in the room that day - least of all the teenager himself - would have envisaged the rollercoaster that lay ahead. Global stardom, both with both One Direction and as a solo artist, a relationship with Cheryl which would produce a son, and a career as a music producer would all have seemed fanciful to the 14-year-old back in 2008.

Today marks the first anniversary of the star's death after the tragic events in Buenos Aires on October 16, 2024. Still a young man, with vast personal wealth and remarkable career behind him, the world really was his oyster. He could be almost anybody he wanted to be. 

Yet it was also a career which looked to have stalled before it even got going, with Cowell rejecting the teenage Liam on no fewer than three occasions. After sailing through his first audition in 2008, Liam was initially sent home by Cowell after the boot camp stage. But the music mogul made a swift U-turn - cue the scratchy record sound effect - and called him back for an extended stay at his house in Barbados. But it was there that Cowell concluded that Liam was simply too young, and sent the heartbroken youngster home - but with the message to come back in a couple of years, when he had finished his exams.

When he did return in 2010, Louis Walsh appeared to remember little about him. Again he sailed through the first stage of the competition - with Cowell telling him he might have 'Michael Buble quaking in his shoes' - but was rejected once more at the 'boot camp' stage, one of a handful who Cowell said had failed to live up to their early potential.

"Each of them individually had very good auditions," Cowell later revealed.

"We had high hopes for two or three of them in particular, and then it all kind of fell apart at one of the latter stages."

But Cowell said he immediately had a nagging feeling that he might regret letting them go. It was Liam's second shot at fame, so he was unlikely to come back for a third audition.

"When they left, I had a bad feeling that maybe we shouldn’t have lost them and maybe there was something else we should do with them," he said.

"And this is when the idea came about that we should see if they could work as a group. We invited these five guys back. They were the only five we cared about."

One Direction, made up of Liam, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, was reportedly Cowell's tip to win the competition. In the event, they finished third, behind winner Matt Cardle and runner-up Rebecca Ferguson, but Cowell gave them a contract anyway. And they proved to be the most enduring act of that year's series, selling 75 million records, scooping nearly 200 awards including seven Brits, and all became multi-multi-millionaires. Collectively, they have earned more than The Beatles. Less extroverted than Harry Styles, Liam was the de facto leader of the group, the streetwise one who kept everything together, answering the media's questions as well as co-writing more than half of the groups third and fourth albums.

As with most pop groups, the tensions eventually began to show, and Malik broke ranks in 2015 to pursue a solo career. The group never formally broke up, but stopped performing in 2016, with the members each going their separate ways.

By this time Liam had already begun to diversify, co-writing the song I Won’t Break for former X-Factor judge Cheryl, which featured on her fourth album, Only Human. The same year, he remixed One Direction’s songs  You & I and Steal My Girl. He also co-wrote The Night We Met for the Irish boy band Hometown in 2015 and collaborated with American rapper Juicy J in 2014 and 2016. 

In 2017 Liam launched his first solo single, Strip That Down, which was an immediate success, reaching No. 3 in the UK and No. 10 in the US Billboard Hot 100. The song, written by Ed Sheeran and featuring American rapper Quavo, received multi-platinum certifications on both sides of the Atlantic. The following year he released For You, a collaboration with Rita Ora which became a global hit, receiving gold or platinum certifications in several countries.

His solo studio album, LP1, was released in December 2019, and made the UK Top 20, but did less well in America. Nevertheless, during the first three years of his solo career, Liam sold more than 18 million singles, 2.4 million albums, and amassed 3.9 billion online streams. 

By 2016, Liam was also in a relationship with Cheryl - who had by this time dropped her ex-husband's surname -  and they had one son who was born in March 2017. Their relationship ended the following year, but they appeared to remain on good terms, with Liam moving to Chalfont St Giles to be closer to his son. At the time of his death he was in a relationship with influencer Kate Cassidy.

Liam was open about his problems with drugs and alcohol, frankly admitting to the pressures that came with fame. In 2022 he revealed that he had spent 100 days in rehab in Louisiana. On the day of his death he was said to have confided in a fellow hotel guest about his troubles.

His glittering career had made him rich beyond his wildest dreams, but he was also well-known for his generosity and philanthropy. Aside from his public fundraising efforts for charities including Clic Sargent, Unicef and his personal donations to The Way youth centre in Wolverhampton, it was also revealed that he would often spend many late nights on crowdfunding websites, ensuring that people reached their targets. Despite growing up in Wolverhampton, he was a keen supporter of West Bromwich Albion.

Liam was still in his prime when he tragically plunged to his death from the balcony of his hotel in Buenos Aires, where he had been watching his old bandmate Niall Horan in concert. It is tragic that we will never know what the years to come may have had in store for him.