Liam Payne features as guest judge in new music competition trailer

By Lauren Del Fabbro, PA Entertainment Reporter

Former One Direction star Liam Payne has featured in a new Netflix trailer for a music competition series.

The late singer appeared in the series trailer for Building the Band, where he took on the role of a guest judge.

The star, best known for being one of the five former members of One Direction, died in October, aged 31, after falling from a third floor balcony at a hotel in Argentina.

A post-mortem examination report said Payne died of multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage” after falling from a balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires.

Prior to his death he had filmed for the new competition series which has been described as a “music experiment” as 50 singers must form a band without seeing or meeting one another.

Listening to each performance through individual booths, only six bands will make it out where they will then meet their fellow bandmates and faced with the obstacle of managing personalities, choreographies and style ahead of the live performances.

Payne appeared in the trailer as a guest judge alongside Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland, host AJ McClean, and mentor Nicole Scherzinger.

In the trailer, he is seen giving feedback to the contestants and says: “I need to feel that connection between you guys.”

Payne was formed into One Direction in 2010, alongside Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles, after they individually auditioned for The X Factor.

They became one of the biggest pop groups in the world, with five albums and four world tours, until they went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.

Payne went on to launch his solo career and released his debut solo album LP1 in December 2019.

The album included the songs Polaroid with Lennon Stella and Jonas Blue, Strip That Down featuring Quavo, as well as the track For You with Rita Ora.

Building The Band will premiere on Netflix on July 9th.