Liam Payne’s tragic passing last year created shock waves across the world. The One Direction singer, who had millions of fans worldwide, is dearly missed, and he left behind a strong legacy as a musician. Payne had a number of projects in the works before his passing, including a Netflix singing competition show that he participated in as a mentor. The show, titled Building the Band, dropped its first four episodes today on the 2025 TV schedule, and watching it felt eerie, despite the singer’s legacy being honored.
The Netflix show opens immediately with a tribute to the late singer by host AJ McLean, and it serves as one of many emotional tributes to Payne that have come after his death. He addresses the fact that the show was filmed before Payne passed away in October, and notes that he will be featured in later episodes of the show. He says that in the wake of Payne’s passing, they have decided to dedicate the show to him, and notes his irreplaceable talent and generosity that will be dearly missed. McLean said:
When we came together to film Building the Band, we never imagined we’d soon be saying goodbye to our friend Liam Payne. Liam is a guest judge in later episodes, and through his presence we see his deep love of music and unwavering commitment to helping others find their voice. It’s through that spirit that we dedicate this series to Liam and his family.
It’s important to note that Payne does not make an appearance in the first four episodes currently available for those with a Netflix subscription. Nicole Scherzinger does, and acts as a mentor and judge to some of the emerging talent, offering a teaser for what Payne’s role is on the show. His lack of presence is almost as looming as his presence would be, as I felt like I was anticipating the late star making an appearance and wondering what his energy would be like. The show was notably filmed in the summer of 2024, just months before the singer’s untimely passing.
While we have yet to see Payne in the show, aside from a teaser towards the end of episode 4, it’s not hard to imagine why he would have been asked to participate. The show forms bands just based on talent alone, and not on any proven stage chemistry. This somewhat mirrors how One Direction was formed on X Factor in 2010, as the individual talents were put together by the judges in hopes that the fivesome would make a good boy band. The judge’s instincts were right, and the rest is history. If anyone knew about creating stage chemistry just based on vocal talent, it was Liam Payne.
The show is strong, as it feels unique among other popular singing competitions. However, it’s hard not to anticipate Payne’s presence as it feels strangely eerie waiting for him to appear. On the other hand, I think there’s a lot of value in having Payne’s work being shared with his fans posthumously, as it’s likely what he would have wanted. The show has yet to air his judge appearance, and we will see if the tone changes when more episodes are released.
You can check out the first four episodes of Building the Band now on Netflix. Then, make sure to stay tuned to Netflix's 2025 schedule as Episodes 5 through 7 drop on July 16 and the final batch premieres on July 23.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
