Why did Simon Cowell reject Liam Payne in his first ‘X Factor’ audition?

Former One Direction singer Liam Payne, who has died at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was an integral part of a boy band that racked up music awards and sold tens of millions of records worldwide. However, music mogul Simon Cowell, whose record label signed One Direction 14 years ago, wasn’t initially won over by the Wolverhampton native.

Cowell to Payne: Come back in two years

As a judge on X Factor, the British reality-TV show on which One Direction was formed, Cowell rejected Payne during the audition process in 2008, explaining that the then-14-year-old “wasn’t quite ready”.

Ahead of X Factor season five, Payne auditioned before a three-person panel of judges: Cowell, Louis Walsh and former Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole - who he later went on to date. “A lot of people have said I’m a really good singer and I’ve got the X factor, but I don’t really know what the X factor is and I believe you guys do,” Payne said, before singing Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon”.

Although Payne impressed the judges, Cowell voiced his misgivings. “I think there is potential with you, Liam,” he said, “I’m just missing a bit of grit, a bit of emotion, and actually a bit of fun, funnily enough […]. You’re a young guy, good-looking, people will like you, but there’s 20% missing for me at the moment." Payne replied: “Give me another audition and I’ll show you I’ve got that 20%.”

However, while Cowell joined Walsh and Cole in sending Payne through to the next stage of the contestant selection process, he finally opted to cut the teenager at the ‘judges’ houses’ phase. Give it a couple of years and try again, Payne was told. And he did just that.

Payne earns ovation at second audition attempt

In X Factor season seven, a now 16-year-old Payne auditioned again in front of Cowell, Walsh and Cole, as well as guest judge Natalie Imbruglia, singing the Michael Bublé version of “Cry Me a River”. He received a standing ovation from the studio audience - and Cowell was among the judges who also got to their feet to applaud the youngster.

“He wasn’t quite ready when he came to my house two years ago,” Cowell explained, “but I said to him then: ‘Come back in two years’ time and you’re going to be a different person.’ And I got it right.” Imbruglia told Payne: “The other people in this competition should be a little bit worried about you.”

One Direction go on to enjoy huge success

During season seven, Payne was then joined by Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik in One Direction.

Having finished on the X Factor podium, the group went on to win seven Grammy Awards and seven Brit Awards. By the time the band went on an indefinite hiatus in 2016 - Malik had already left the year earlier - One Direction had sold more than 50 million records worldwide, according to Billboard. The group had six top-10 hit singles in the Billboard Hot 100; most notably, “What Makes You Beautiful” reached No. 4 in spring 2012.

After leaving One Direction in 2016, Payne went on to carve out a successful solo career. He released one studio album, LP1, three EPs and 14 singles. His 2017 solo single “Strip That Down” reached No. 10 in the US Billboard Hot 100.