Former One Direction member Liam Payne initially had no desire to be part of the iconic boy band. Instead, the British singer had aspirations to join the popular group JLS, according to JB Gill, a member of the latter band.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Gill shared insights about his encounter with Payne during the auditions for X Factor in 2008. At the time, the then 31-year-old singer was auditioning as a solo artist but faced disappointment when he was eliminated during the boot camp stage of the competition.
“He wanted to be in JLS, to be honest,” Gill stated, reflecting on their conversation. “But when he got knocked out at boot camp, we said, 'Just keep going, keep working hard, you'll get your chance.' I'm obviously glad that he was able to do that.”
Despite the initial setback, Payne returned to X Factor in 2010, where his fortunes changed dramatically. He was placed in a group alongside Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik, forming One Direction. The band went on to achieve global superstardom, becoming one of the most successful boy bands in music history.
Gill expressed his hope that Payne's journey serves as a reminder of perseverance. “I don’t know all the ins and outs... But one of the things I've taken as a silver lining is that he was actually able to do what he set out to do, which was to sing and share his voice with the world,” he said.
Reflecting on Payne's impact, Gill added, “I think it's something that anyone who knew him, even his fans, will be able to take away from this incredibly sad situation.”
