LOS ANGELES — Netflix’s new reality show, “Building the Band,” unexpectedly became Liam Payne’s last major appearance — moments the show’s hosts say they, along with contestants and viewers, are lucky to have.
The show features Payne as a guest judge, offering pointed but witty advice to young bands chasing success not unlike what he achieved as part of the culture-shifting boy band, One Direction. Payne died in October after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina, not long after the show’s production wrapped.
“Getting to see the real, true him that the world gets to remember him for, which you’ll see on this show, is just a beautiful thing,” says the Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean, the show’s host.
“Building the Band” flips traditional music competitions on their head, bringing together 50 up-and-coming artists who are tasked with singing for each other and forming groups based on those performances. The catch? They can’t see how anyone looks.
The first batch of episodes premiered in early July and the last few episodes, including the finale, will drop Wednesday. The show ultimately follows six bands working to develop their group sound and performances — until only one band is left standing, winning the $500,000 prize.
The show is hosted by McLean, with Pussycat Dolls frontwoman — and newly minted Tony winner — Nicole Scherzinger mentoring the bands and Destiny’s Child star Kelly Rowland serving as a guest judge alongside Payne.
Payne’s impact on ‘Building the Band’
The series opened with a dedication to Payne and his family, in which McLean said they “never imagined we’d soon be saying goodbye to our friend” while filming the show.
Payne first appears in the seventh episode for the showcase, where each band performs in front of a live audience and the judges, only about a week after they form.
“We were amazing dancers, obviously, in One Direction,” Payne joked in the episode while offering critiques to boy band Midnight ’til Morning, whose members expressed hesitations with dancing onstage. Band member Mason Watts then revealed his family had won tickets to sit front row at a One Direction concert when he was 11, stoking applause from the crowd and a heartfelt response from Payne.
“Ever since that moment, I wanted to be in a group,” Watts, originally from Australia, said in the episode. “It’s kind of a full-circle moment to be here with a group and performing in front of you. So, thank you, man.”
Landon Boyce, a member of the show’s other boy band, Soulidified, told The Associated Press that Payne left a lasting impact and was a leading example of how he hopes to carry himself as a performer.
“I remember Liam just said, ‘Have fun,’” Boyce says. “He just told us, ‘I wish One Direction kind of, like, did what you guys were doing.’ And I kind of just took that as like, let’s just have fun and dance.”
Payne is seen nodding along with excitement during the band’s showcase performance, when they sang “Sure Thing” by Miguel. Bradley Rittmann, another Soulidified member, told the AP they were “on Cloud 9” after Payne said he would join their band.
Payne applauded their ability to own the stage and acknowledged the unconventionality of their band due to the members’ varying musical and fashion styles, saying he “wouldn’t put you guys together, but the result was amazing.”
