MANILA, Philippines — Back in March 2012, The STAR had the opportunity to interview the late One Direction member Liam Payne on behalf of the British band, which also included Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik.
At that time, the boy band just broke records as the first UK group that shot straight to the top of the US charts with their debut album Up All Night, becoming “frontrunners” of the new wave of Brit talent shining in the music scene.
But before the US breakout success, One Direction’s debut album had already become the fastest-selling record in their home country, with debut single What Makes You Beautiful peaking at No. 1 in domestic charts and getting named Best British Single at the 2012 Brit Awards.
Liam enthused to The STAR back then, “I think us being No. 1 is the most exciting thing,” adding they were solo artists in the 2010 edition of the reality-TV talent search “The X Factor” in the UK, who were brought together by the show’s creator and judge Simon Cowell.
“No, we never met each other before ‘The X Factor.’ We were put together in the show and (at that time) we had only known each other for like three months,” Liam further recalled in the phone interview.
While they found it cool to be called a boy band, Liam said that One Direction “tried to do something a bit different as a boy band.”
“We are kind of making it like a bit younger and kind of real because some boy bands tend to be a bit fake and cheesy. I think we don’t want to be like one and we want to make it as best as possible.”
Despite not knowing each other at first, he said of his fellow bandmates: “We’re like brothers. We spend every single day together and no matter what, we’re friends. We kind of actually just get on (with each other) and everyone is similar. We have this same humor and we (enjoy) laughing together.”
During The STAR interview, Liam would reveal that his favorite song from their first record was actually One Thing, an uptempo pop-rock number about one's admiration for someone special and is best known for its anthemic chorus. It also happened to be primarily sung by Liam and Harry.
“I think it’s my type of music and I think it’s a really, really great song. It has that really great tempo that makes you really happy and alive,” he expressed.
What was also noteworthy about the chat was how he spoke about his Filipino fans. “A lot of people actually tweet from the Philippines and on tour. Sometimes, we see #Bring1dtophilippines, there’s loads of different things that trend and we love that. We’re very aware of our Philippine fans,” Liam said.
“Yeah, we spend a lot of time on Twitter, talking to our fans and stuff. We do things like follow fans as well. We try to talk as much as we can to the fans to make sure we get a little bit closer to them.
“I think we're coming really soon. I think we're coming a lot sooner than people know. We've got to go to America first for our tour, after, yeah, we're coming very, very soon.”
It would take some three years later before Liam and the rest of the One Direction would visit the Philippines for a two-night concert on March 21 and 22, 2015.
To recall, the anticipation surrounding One Direction's first Manila show was marred by controversy amid reports that the Bureau of Immigration (BI) ordered organizers to post a P400,000 drug bond, a requirement for the special work permit needed for their performances at the SM Mall of Asia.
Aside from that, it also marked the first time that the five-member band performed on stage minus Zayn. A few days later, he would announce his departure from the group.
One Direction would take an indefinite hiatus in 2016. The members pursued solo careers, including Liam whose first single, Strip that Down, became a Top 10 hit in Britain in 2017.
Post-One Direction, he would open up about “struggling with his mental health amid the pressures of fame” and “spent time in rehab for alcoholism and in hospital with what he said were kidney problems,” an AP report said.
He released his last single, Teardrops, in March this year to “mark the start of a new beginning.” However, AP said that the “song failed to chart and a second album was reportedly put on hold before his death.”
On Oct. 16, news of his sudden passing sent shockwaves across fans worldwide He was found dead after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was only 31.
One Direction members issued emotional tributes individually, but in a joint statement, they expressed how “completely devastated” they were over the loss of their “brother”: “In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly. The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”