Known for belonging to the internationally successful boy band One Direction, Liam Payne is an English singer/songwriter and pop artist. Hailing from Wolverhampton in the West Midlands of England, Payne first became involved with entertainment and the arts when he was a member of the Pink Productions Theatre Company at the age of 12, going on to develop a magnetic stage presence. He first made his foray into the public eye when he auditioned for the 2008 series of The X Factor with his rendition of Frank Sinatra’s "Fly Me to the Moon." Initially unsuccessful, he was advised by judge Simon Cowell to "come back in two years." The young vocalist did just that, and returned to the show in 2010, flooring the panel with his performance of Michael Bublé's version of the classic American torch song, "Cry Me a River." He failed to progress to the Boys category at the judges’ houses, however, but following a suggestion from guest judge Nicole Scherzinger, he was subsequently placed in a group of four other boys who had not progressed to the Boys category either; this led to the formation of what would become One Direction, and Payne (alongside fellow contestants and future bandmembers Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik) spent the following weeks rehearsing and getting to know one another. After their qualifying song (a cover of Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn") propelled them further on the show, the group quickly gained widespread attention and popularity throughout the U.K. The band went on to experience success after they signed with Cowell's Syco imprint in 2010, with their first studio effort, Up All Night arriving the following November. Subsequent years saw the release of Take Me Home (2012), Midnight Memories (2013), Four (2014), and Made in the A.M. (2015), all of which were monumentally successful and charted at number one. Payne was lauded for his eclectic vocal range and songwriting skills (as one of the principal songwriters for the group). During the summer of 2014, he founded Hampton Music Limited, his own creative umbrella for future non-One Direction-related material. Payne decided to work as a producer using the moniker of "Payno" (and occasionally "Big Payno"). He teamed up with production duo AfterHrs and they remixed Cheryl Cole's 2014 single "I Don’t Care." Payne also received co-writing credits on some of the material from the accompanying album, Only Human. The mid- to late 2010s saw him release solo material and other independent endeavors; he collaborated with a host of various artists such as fellow English songwriter Jamie Scott on the track "The Night We Met," the Irish pop outfit Hometown, and was featured on the track "You" with rappers Wiz Khalifa and Juicy J. In May of 2017, Payne put out his first official single, "Strip That Down," a slow-burning, midtempo trap- and R&B-inspired cut he co-wrote with Ed Sheeran and producer Steve Mac. The track also featured hip-hop artist Quavo.

Rob Wacey
AllMusic.com