Nicole Scherzinger is reflecting on the loss of her “dear friend” Liam Payne.
In a preview clip for the July 27th episode of Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist, Scherzinger spoke about her new Netflix music competition series, โBuilding the Band,โ and opened up about how it was to work with Payne in what was his last major TV appearance before his death in October 2024.
โI put One Direction together, so itโs come full circle for us,โ she told Geist, referring to her hand in creating the popular boy band, which included Payne, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, from competitors on โThe X Factor.โ
Payne, who passed away at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, served as a guest judge on Scherzingerโs โBuilding the Band,โ which has singers form groups without initially seeing each other. The โSunset Boulevardโ star said Payne brought something special and authentic to the series.
โAnd then itโs full circle for Liam, because he had the success with One Direction,โ she continued, becoming emotional. โAnd what did he bring? He brought the personal experience. Heโs lived it, you know?โ
Prior to his death, Payne filmed several episodes of โBuilding the Band,โ working alongside fellow judge and former Destinyโs Child member Kelly Rowland and Scherzinger, who mentors the competitors. Scherzinger said she was โblown awayโ by Payneโs expertise, recalling that she thought, โโWow, he really knows what heโs talking about.โโ
โIโm so excited for people to see the show, because Liam just shines in the show,” she continued, speaking to Willie. “Heโs just a natural beautiful bright light. Anyone who knows him โ he has a very kind, giving heart. And he gets to, you know, give back.โ
Scherzinger said Payneโs experience with One Direction equipped him to โgive really good advice from a very personal place,โ adding that he โbrings a joy to the show and a sweetness.โ
The Tony winner later described Payne as being โin a great placeโ when they filmed the show, noting that the panel of judges โgelled so well.โ
โHe was a dear friend of mine,โ she added of Payne. โAnd so Iโm happy that people get to remember him in this beautiful light where heโs shining.โ
Reflecting on the loss of the Payne, Scherzinger told Willie that she also hopes people can show more compassion to others since life can be “complicated.”
“People, everyoneโs complicated,” she said. “Itโs called humans. Itโs the human spirit and soul. And I just wish I could only just pray for people to be more compassionate and understanding, because everybody at some point in their life if not right now is going through something.”
As Willie noted in their Sunday Sitdown interview, Payne was honored at the top of the “Building the Band” with a message from host Backstreet Boy AJ McLean.
โWhen we came together to film โBuilding the Band,โ we never imagined weโd soon be saying goodbye to our friend, Liam Payne,โ McLean says in the first episode. โLiam is a guest judge in later episodes, and through his presence, we see his deep love for music and his unwavering commitment to helping others find their voice.โ
Over photos and videos showing moments of Payneโs appearances on the show, McLean continues, โItโs through that spirit that we dedicate this series to Liam and his family.โ
