Career Timeline of Liam Payne: Major Achievements and Milestones
How Liam Payne built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Liam Payne is an English singer and songwriter, most famously known as a member of the globally successful boy band One Direction. Formed on the British television show *The X Factor* in 2010, One Direction, including Payne, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson, achieved international stardom. Payne originally auditioned as a solo artist on *The X Factor* twice, leading to his inclusion in the group. One Direction went on to become one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.
2008: First X Factor Audition
In 2008, Liam Payne first appeared as a solo auditionee on The X Factor.
2010: Formation of One Direction on The X Factor
In 2010, Liam Payne returned to The X Factor and, after failing to progress as a solo artist, was grouped with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik to form One Direction. The group finished in third place.
2010: One Direction formation on The X Factor
In 2010, Liam Payne was invited to join One Direction on The X Factor, placing third in the competition.
January 2011: One Direction signs with Syco Entertainment
In January 2011, One Direction signed with Simon Cowell's Syco Entertainment, marking the beginning of their commercial success.
2012: Take Me Home Album Release
In 2012, One Direction released their album Take Me Home which went on to debut at number one in the UK.
2013: Campaign with Trekstock
In 2013, Liam Payne's campaign with Trekstock raised $784,198 for the youth cancer charity.
2013: Comic Relief Charity Single
In 2013, One Direction released a charity single "One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)" for Comic Relief and raised over £2 million for the charity, in part through the release of the single and films of their trip to Ghana.
2013: Midnight Memories Album Release
In 2013, One Direction released their album Midnight Memories which was the world's best-selling album of that year.
August 2014: Creation of Hampton Music Limited
In August 2014, Liam Payne created Hampton Music Limited, a publishing company under which his solo projects appeared, and also served as a director for One Mode Productions Limited.
2014: Four Album Release
In 2014, One Direction released their album Four, which debuted at number one in the UK, making them the only group in the Billboard 200 albums chart history to have their first four albums debut at number one.
March 2015: Departure of Zayn Malik from One Direction
In March 2015, following Zayn Malik's departure from One Direction, Liam Payne took over the bulk of Malik's vocals.
2015: Working on solo material
In 2015, Liam Payne began working on solo material.
2015: Co-writing Hometown's Single
In 2015, Liam Payne co-wrote the Irish band Hometown's single "The Night We Met".
2015: Campaign with Trekstock and Global Goals Campaign
In 2015, Liam Payne raised an additional $211,237 during his campaign with Trekstock, and he also helped to promote a £6 million youth project called "The Youth Zone" in Wolverhampton. Additionally, Payne was named an ambassador of Sustainable Development Goals, also known as the Global Goals campaign in 2015.
2015: Action 1D Campaign
In 2015, Liam Payne, along with the rest of One Direction, partnered with Action/2015 to launch the "Action 1D" campaign to raise awareness of global issues.
2015: Co-writing on One Direction's Albums
In 2015, it was noted that Liam Payne became a prolific co-writer on One Direction's later three albums, especially Four, with over 30 credits, second only to Louis Tomlinson.
October 2016: Signing with Republic Records
In October 2016, Liam Payne signed a recording contract with Republic Records, marking a significant step in his solo career.
2016: One Direction Hiatus and Solo Career
Following One Direction's hiatus in 2016, Liam Payne signed with Republic Records in North America to pursue a solo career.
2016: One Direction's Indefinite Hiatus
In 2016, One Direction went on an indefinite hiatus after completing promotional activities for Made in the A.M. By this time, they had sold 70 million records worldwide.
May 2017: Release of Strip That Down
On May 19, 2017, Liam Payne released his debut solo single "Strip That Down", featuring Quavo, co-written with Ed Sheeran and Steve Mac, achieving commercial success.
2017: Release of Debut Single "Strip That Down"
In 2017, Liam Payne released his debut solo single "Strip That Down", which achieved significant chart success and multi-platinum certifications.
January 2018: Collaboration on "For You"
In January 2018, Liam Payne collaborated with Rita Ora on "For You", a single released from the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack, which became a commercial success worldwide.
March 2018: Performance at Global Village Dubai
On March 30, 2018, Liam Payne performed at Global Village 2018 in Dubai in front of more than 100,000 people.
April 2018: Release of Familiar with J Balvin
In April 2018, Liam Payne released "Familiar" with J Balvin, reaching number 14 in the United Kingdom and receiving platinum certification.
August 2018: Release of First Time EP
On August 24, 2018, Liam Payne released his first extended play, First Time. The EP's sole single was "First Time", a collaboration with French Montana.
September 2018: Delay of Debut Album Release
In September 2018, Liam Payne delayed the release of his debut album to continue work on it.
October 2018: Release of Polaroid
On October 5, 2018, Liam Payne collaborated with Jonas Blue and Lennon Stella on the single "Polaroid", which achieved platinum certification.
2018: Charity Ball and Gogglebox Appearance
In 2018, Liam Payne co-hosted a charity ball with Louis Tomlinson in honour of Believe in Magic, an organization supporting terminally ill children. They also filmed an episode of Gogglebox in support for Stand Up to Cancer in 2018.
May 2019: Global Brand Ambassador for Hugo Boss
In May 2019, Liam Payne was named the first global brand ambassador for Hugo Boss.
September 2019: Release of "Stack It Up"
On September 18, 2019, Liam Payne released the song "Stack It Up", featuring American rapper A Boogie wit da Hoodie.
October 2019: Announcement of LP1 Release Date
In October 2019, Liam Payne announced that his debut album, LP1, would be released on 6 December 2019, and released "All I Want (For Christmas)" as a single from the album.
December 2019: LP1 Release
In December 2019, Liam Payne released his debut album, LP1, which debuted at number 17 on the UK Albums Chart and number 111 on the Billboard 200.
January 2020: Hugo Now Fragrance Campaign
In January 2020, Liam Payne starred in the Hugo Boss fragrance campaign for their perfume Hugo Now.
April 2020: YouTube Series and "Midnight" Release
In April 2020, Liam Payne began a weekly YouTube series and released the single "Midnight" with Alesso.
May 2020: Launch of Second Capsule Collection with Hugo Boss
In May 2020, Liam Payne launched his second capsule collection with Hugo Boss, including men's wardrobes with polo shirts, T-shirts, shorts, hoodies, sweatpants, and sneakers.
July 2020: Hugo x Liam Payne Capsule Collection
In July 2020, the first Hugo x Liam Payne capsule collection was revealed during Berlin Fashion Week.
October 2020: Release of Midnight Hour EP and "Naughty List"
On October 9, 2020, Liam Payne released the collaborative EP "Midnight Hour" with Alesso. On October 30, he released "Naughty List", a Christmas single featuring Dixie D'Amelio.
2020: Donor to the Trussell Trust
Beginning in the spring of 2020, Liam Payne became a donor to the Trussell Trust and its network of UK food banks, funding more than 360,000 meals during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also donated £80,000 and volunteered at Euston Food Bank and Food for All in Holborn.
June 2021: Launch of "Lonely Bug" NFT Collection
In June 2021, Liam Payne launched a non-fungible token (NFT) digital artwork collection, entitled "Lonely Bug".
August 2021: Release of "Sunshine"
In August 2021, Liam Payne released the single "Sunshine", which was featured in the film Ron's Gone Wrong.
January 2022: Dedicated Twitter Account for NFTs
On January 25, 2022, Liam Payne created a separate Twitter account, @PaynoETH, solely to cover the subject of NFTs.
June 2022: Intoxicated Interview with Logan Paul
On June 1, 2022, Liam Payne was intoxicated during an interview with Logan Paul for his podcast series. He discussed One Direction's origins and his relationship with Zayn Malik, later clarifying and apologizing for his remarks.
2022: Participated in UNICEF's Soccer Aid
In 2022, Liam Payne captained the English team in UNICEF's Soccer Aid.
May 2023: Announcement of Second Album
In May 2023, Liam Payne announced that he was working on his second album and planning a solo tour.
September 2023: Postponement of Latin America Tour
In September 2023, Liam Payne's planned Latin America tour was postponed after he was hospitalized with a kidney infection in August.
2023: Soccer Aid Return
In 2023, Liam Payne returned for the UNICEF's Soccer Aid event.
March 2024: Release of Teardrops
On March 1, 2024, Liam Payne returned to music with the single "Teardrops", co-written with NSYNC member JC Chasez.
October 2024: Teardrops Charts After Death
In October 2024, following Liam Payne's death, his track "Teardrops" debuted on the UK Singles Chart.
October 2024: Announcement of "Do No Wrong" Release
On October 28, 2024, Sam Pounds announced that Liam Payne would be the featured artist on his single "Do No Wrong."
November 2024: Delay of "Do No Wrong" Release
On October 29, 2024 Sam Pounds announced that the release of the single "Do No Wrong", featuring Liam Payne, originally set for November 1, 2024, was delayed.
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