Liam Payne: Looking Back

A whole generation took a pause when the news of Liam Payne’s passing hit. It’s easy to forget the true impact that a childhood boy band can have on you. Until something tragic happens.

When One Direction formed back in 2010, Nicola Scherzinger said “Aww, the little girls are going to love them.” And love them we did. Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik became an obsession for a whole generation of young people almost overnight. 

5 boys, 5 albums, 6 years. And a monumental impact on the music industry. One Direction broke so many records with their tours and their albums for example, they were the first group to have their first four albums debut at number one in the Billboard 200. Even now, they remain one of the best-selling boy bands of all time, selling more than 70 million records worldwide as of 2020.

It feels like they were together for longer than they were due to the back to back albums and tours they did. And the fact that their faces were everywhere - bedding, toothbrushes, clothes, bags, pencil cases, dolls, and even condoms. Everybody knew them and everyone had a favourite - personally, I was a Louis girl. 

With the albums came lots of iconic songs, and I think they perfectly underscore a lot of different events in most of our lives.

“Little Things” is the perfect song for when you’re feeling a bit down about yourself. “18” and “Night Changes” are the most poignant nostalgia songs. “Fool’s Gold” just has a tune you can’t seem to forget. 

But for the fan base, coined “Directioners”, the lads were more than their music and their records. 

The boys broke the mould for boy bands. They didn’t fall into the cheesy choreography and the matching outfits that many bands before them had.

Their shows were filled with laughing, falling over, interacting with the fans, throwing water over each other, and just generally having a good time. Their personalities were never hidden, not even slightly, and the fans truly could connect with the boys as if they were mates. 

Liam’s tragic death awoke the little girls in all of us, which is why many of us felt the loss so deeply. The world didn’t just lose Liam Payne, he took the whole of One Direction with him. It will never be the same. 

Lots of little girls and boys lost one of the first people we ever adored and the space in the hearts of almost an entire generation, will never truly be filled.

Edited by: Jasmine Pegg