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, best known as a member of the globally successful boy band One Direction. Formed during The X Factor in 2010, the group achieved immense popularity and record sales. Payne had previously auditioned as a solo artist on The X Factor. One Direction ultimately finished in third place on the show before launching their successful music career.
2008: First X Factor Audition
In 2008, Liam Payne auditioned for The X Factor as a solo artist.
2008: Audition for The X Factor
In 2008, at the age of 14, Liam Payne auditioned for the fifth series of The X Factor, performing "Fly Me to the Moon".
2010: Second X Factor Audition and Formation of One Direction
In 2010, Liam Payne auditioned again for The X Factor and was invited to join One Direction.
2010: Return to The X Factor and Formation of One Direction
In 2010, Liam Payne returned to The X Factor and, along with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik, formed One Direction.
January 2011: Signing with Syco Entertainment
In January 2011, One Direction signed with Simon Cowell's Syco Entertainment.
2012: Release of Take Me Home
In 2012, One Direction released the album Take Me Home, which later debuted at number one in the UK.
2013: Fundraising campaign with Trekstock
In 2013, Liam Payne's campaign with Trekstock raised $784,198.
2013: Release of Midnight Memories
In 2013, One Direction released their album Midnight Memories, which became the world's best-selling album of the year.
2013: Charity Work with Comic Relief
In 2013, One Direction supported Comic Relief, raising over £2 million through a charity single and a trip to Ghana.
August 2014: Creation of Hampton Music Limited
In August 2014, Liam Payne created Hampton Music Limited, a publishing company for his solo projects.
2014: Release of Four
In 2014, One Direction released their album Four, making them the only group in Billboard 200 history to have their first four albums debut at number one.
March 2015: Taking Over Vocals After Zayn Malik's Departure
In March 2015, following Zayn Malik's departure from One Direction, Liam Payne took over the bulk of Malik's vocals.
2015: Partnership with Action/2015
In 2015, Liam Payne and One Direction partnered with Action/2015 to launch the "Action 1D" campaign, raising awareness of global issues.
2015: Co-writing "The Night We Met"
In 2015, Liam Payne co-wrote the Irish band Hometown's single "The Night We Met".
2015: Fundraising campaign with Trekstock and ambassador of Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, Liam Payne raised an additional $211,237 during his campaign with Trekstock. Also, in 2015, Payne was named an ambassador of Sustainable Development Goals and helped promote "The Youth Zone" in Wolverhampton.
2015: Views on Co-writing
In 2015, Liam Payne said that the two tracks that he was most proud of were "Better Than Words" and "What a Feeling".
2015: Working on Solo Material
In 2015, Liam Payne started working on solo material.
October 2016: Signing with Republic Records
In October 2016, Liam Payne signed a recording contract with Republic Records to pursue his solo career.
2016: One Direction's Indefinite Hiatus
In 2016, One Direction went on an indefinite hiatus after promotional activities for "Made in the A.M."
2016: One Direction Hiatus and Solo Career
In 2016, following One Direction's hiatus, Liam Payne started his solo career and signed with Republic Records.
May 2017: Release of "Strip That Down" Single
In May 2017, Liam Payne released his debut solo single, "Strip That Down", featuring Quavo, achieving commercial success.
2017: Release of "Strip That Down"
In 2017, Liam Payne released his debut solo single "Strip That Down", which achieved significant success.
January 2018: Collaboration on "For You"
In January 2018, Liam Payne collaborated with Rita Ora on "For You", a single for the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack.
March 2018: Performance at Global Village in Dubai
On 30 March 2018, Liam Payne performed at Global Village 2018 in Dubai.
April 2018: Release of "Familiar" with J Balvin
In April 2018, Liam Payne released "Familiar" with J Balvin.
August 2018: Release of First Time EP
In August 2018, Liam Payne released his first extended play, First Time, featuring the single "First Time" with French Montana.
September 2018: Delay of Debut Album
In September 2018, Liam Payne delayed the release of his debut album to continue working on it.
October 2018: Release of "Polaroid" Single
In October 2018, Liam Payne collaborated with Jonas Blue and Lennon Stella on the single "Polaroid".
2018: Charity ball and Gogglebox episode
In 2018, Liam Payne co-hosted a charity ball with Louis Tomlinson, donating over £5 million collectively. Payne and Tomlinson also filmed an episode of Gogglebox in 2018 in support of Stand Up to Cancer.
May 2019: Expressed pro-choice views
In May 2019, Liam Payne expressed pro-choice views amidst anti-abortion legislation in Alabama.
May 2019: Named 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"
In September 2019, Liam Payne released the song "Stack It Up" featuring A Boogie wit da Hoodie.
October 2019: Announcement of LP1 Release
In October 2019, Liam Payne announced that his debut album, LP1, would be released in December.
December 2019: Release of LP1
In December 2019, Liam Payne released his debut album LP1.
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: Start of YouTube Series and Release of Midnight
In April 2020, Liam Payne began a weekly YouTube series and released the single "Midnight" with Alesso.
May 2020: Expressed support for Black Lives Matter
In May 2020, Liam Payne expressed support for the Black Lives Matter movement and attended London protests.
May 2020: Launch of Second Hugo Boss Collection
In May 2020, Liam Payne launched his second capsule collection with Hugo Boss, featuring men's wardrobe items like polo shirts, T-shirts, and sneakers.
July 2020: Release of First 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 and Naughty List
In October 2020, Liam Payne released the collaborative EP "Midnight Hour" with Alesso and the Christmas single "Naughty List" 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.
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", 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 discuss NFTs.
June 2022: Interview on Logan Paul's podcast
On June 1, 2022, Liam Payne was interviewed by Logan Paul for his podcast series, where he made controversial remarks about One Direction and Zayn Malik, later clarifying and apologizing.
2022: Participated in UNICEF's Soccer Aid
In 2022, Liam Payne captained the English team at UNICEF's Soccer Aid.
May 2023: Announcement of Second Album
In May 2023, Liam Payne announced that he was working on his second album.
September 2023: Postponement of Latin America Tour
In September 2023, Liam Payne's first solo tour in Latin America was postponed due to his hospitalization for a kidney infection in August 2023.
2023: Returned for the Soccer Aid event
In 2023, Liam Payne returned for the Soccer Aid event.
March 2024: Release of "Teardrops"
On March 1, 2024, Liam Payne released the single "Teardrops", co-written with JC Chasez.
October 2024: Posthumous Chart Debut of Teardrops
In October 2024, following Liam Payne's death, "Teardrops" debuted on the UK Singles Chart.
November 2024: Postponement of "Do No Wrong" Release
In November 2024, Sam Pounds delayed the release of his single "Do No Wrong" featuring Liam Payne, feeling it was not the right time.
June 2025: Guest Judge on Building the Band
In June 2025, it was announced that Liam Payne acted as a guest judge on Netflix's 2025 music competition series Building the Band.
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