Liam Payne changed the music industry in One Direction — solo success was harder

In 2015, One Direction‘s members were the highest-paid entertainers under 30 Forbes reported, earning a combined $130 million.

Taylor Swift, with $80 million that year, earned more per person but was still second fiddle.

Savan Kotecha, a producer who worked on One Direction’s first single, “What Makes You Beautiful,” spoke about it to Rolling Stone in 2020.

He said the band used social media to build hype and form a thriving fan community in the US before their first single was released there.

“They instinctively had this — and it might just be a generational thing — they just knew how to speak to their fans,” Kotecha said.

Pop critic Alexis Petridis wrote in the Guardian on Thursday that the band’s rocky sound helped them stand out from previous boy bands who released ballads, R&B, and songs tinged with hip-hop.

Payne was a core member of One Direction

Payne’s role in the band was the sensible, de facto lead. He had songwriting credits on some of their biggest hits, including “Story of My Life” and “Night Changes.”

Cowell told Rolling Stone in 2012 that he recognized Payne’s talent when he auditioned for “The X Factor” and thought he would work in the band.

“I always knew that with confidence he would be a valuable member of this band, so I had no hesitation in bringing him back,” Cowell said.

One Direction announced an indefinite hiatus in 2016 following Malik’s departure, prompting each member to go solo.

Styles has so far been the only member to find global success, though.

Payne’s first solo single, 2017’s “Strip That Down,” entered the Billboard 100 top 10, but his 2018 EP “First Time” and his 2019 album “LP1” didn’t match it.

He was open about dealing with alcohol and drug addiction, which he said began at the height of One Direction’s success. In May 2023, Payne said in an interview with the boxing YouTube channel iFL TV that he was 100 days sober and making a second album.

“I definitely want to tour this time. This is unusual because I wasn’t sure I was going to tour for a long time. I was kind of over it a little bit but I’m really excited to get back out on the road and go and see all the fans,” he said.

But in August 2023, Payne announced in a since-deleted Instagram post that he was cancelling his first solo tour, saying he had been admitted to a hospital with a kidney infection.

In March 2024, Payne’s comeback single “Teardrops” generated little buzz, and his second album remains without a release date.

Fans may now never know if it could have been the project to revive Payne’s music career.