Liam Payne’s parents share verdict on release of son’s Netflix series filmed before One Direction star’s death
Liam Payne’s parents have given their blessing for his final television project to be broadcast on Netflix, nine months after the One Direction star’s tragic death in Buenos Aires.
The singer’s parents, Geoff and Karen, approved the release of Building the Band, a new talent competition series where Payne served as a mentor and judge alongside Nicole Scherzinger and Kelly Rowland.
Scherzinger revealed that the decision to air the programme was ultimately left to Payne’s family, who wanted the world to see their son’s final work.
The 31-year-old died last October after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina, shocking fans worldwide.
Building the Band, which features 50 singers competing to form bands without seeing each other, began streaming on Netflix on Wednesday with its first four episodes.
“Liam meant and means so much to all of us, and we were very obviously sensitive to the whole process,” Scherzinger stated.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood, she added: “We ultimately left it into his family’s hands and wanted to respect how they felt about everything and how to move forward.”
She explained that Payne’s parents were present throughout filming and sat next to the judges during the process.
“So to know that we had their blessing, to know that they were so proud of him on the show, they were like, ‘Oh, yes, this is how we want everyone to remember Liam’,” she said.
Scherzinger, who helped form One Direction on The X Factor alongside Simon Cowell, became emotional discussing her friend and colleague.
Scherzinger revealed that Payne thoroughly enjoyed the filming process and went beyond his required duties to help contestants.
“He put in the extra hours that he wanted to work with these bands even off screen,” she said, adding that “he was really great at this role. He was giving back, and that’s one of his gifts.”
During filming breaks, Payne connected with fans in a particularly touching moment.
“When we were on a break, he actually sang What Makes You Beautiful to his fans, because they were all freaking out that he was there. And he just loved it,” Scherzinger recalled.
She described it as “a special memory” and noted how Payne had come “full circle” from being an X Factor contestant himself to mentoring aspiring musicians.
Netflix has dedicated the series to Payne, with executive producer Cat Lawson telling Deadline that “the show is dedicated to him and that is absolutely right.”
Lawson described Payne as “glorious” and said the team was in “huge shock” following his death.
“You have to remember you get to know people really quickly and deeply [on these shows] and he was a glorious person. None of us saw this coming,” she said.
The programme begins with a special tribute to the late singer.LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
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Payne’s sister Ruth Gibbins shared on Instagram that she is “heartbroken” her brother won’t see how “brilliant” he is on the show.
Following his death, Payne’s One Direction bandmates released a statement calling him their “brother” and saying they were “completely devastated.”