Know Liam Payne ahead of UAE gig
Ahead of his concert tomorrow, tabloid! looks back on the star’s humble beginnings to his chart-topping run with One Direction
He was beaten to the punch by Niall Horan, the first former One Direction member to visit Dubai since the band split in 2015. But Liam Payne will still be the first to perform solo in the city.
Payne will entertain fans young and old at the Global Village tomorrow during a free concert.
Ahead of the gig, get to know the 24-year-old singer, from trying out for the X Factor twice, to a meteoric rise with the world’s biggest boy band.
Starting a family
Payne followed in band mate Louis Tomlinson’s footsteps last year and became a father of one. On March 22, 2017, Payne and his partner Cheryl Cole welcomed their firstborn son Bear, whose name was inspired by his strange affinity for growling in the hospital. The small family celebrated Bear’s first birthday last week.
Baby of the family
Payne was born and raised in Wolverhampton, UK, to mother Karen, a nursery nurse, and father Geoff, a fitter. He’s the youngest of three, with two older sisters, Nicola and Ruth. After being born three weeks prematurely, Payne developed a scarred kidney. During the early years of One Direction, Payne claimed he only had one kidney, though later admitted he had two. Payne has opened up about being bullied as a child. He took up boxing lessons as a result.
Tattoos, tattoos, tattoos
Like most of his 1D band mates — sans Niall Horan — Payne is covered in tattoos. The singer is well on his way to having two full sleeves of ink now, but in 2012, he got his first piece, a matching screw tattoo with the rest of his band mates. Payne quickly ventured into larger pieces. He got a feather in tribute to his late grandmother, and a chevron with four bold arrows representing his band mates at the time.
Overcoming obstacles
Payne opened up about an unhappy period of time with One Direction when he “went through a real drinking stage” and “took things too far”. The constant attention also got to him. “We couldn’t go anywhere. It was just gig to hotel, gig to hotel. And you couldn’t sleep, because they’d still be outside.”
X Factor times two
At 14 years old, Payne first auditioned for the X Factor in 2008, but didn’t make it far. That was also the first time that Payne met his current romantic partner and then X
Factor judge Cheryl Cole, who was 24 at the time. Payne auditioned again in 2010 as a solo artist, impressing Simon Cowell. After being eliminated as a solo act, however, he was placed in the group One Direction, who finished the season in third place.
Time in One Direction
Payne was heavily involved behind-thescenes of One Direction. Towards the end of the band’s five-album run, he was a primary songwriter and co-wrote the majority of their tracks. Payne used to be known as the most serious member of One Direction, though he later became less strict. Payne had one of the widest vocal ranges in the band, with a tendency towards falsetto.
What’s next?
So far, Payne has collaborated with Quavo, Zedd and Rita Ora (below), releasing Strip That
Down, Get Low and For You, the last of which was on the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack. Speaking about his upcoming debut album, Payne called it “very eclectic”. “It’s more like my playlist album. My favourite playlist of songs that I have made over the past year. So, some slow jams, there’s a couple of dance songs on there, with some R’n’B stuff,” he said.