Long Live Liam

The crowds chanting. The lights dimming. The thousands of fans crying, laughing, screaming your names as you entered the stage, belting out the lyrics of romantic pop songs.

Liam Payne had been living through this day after day since he entered the X Factor, an English singing competition, at 16. Fans immediately fell in love with his boyish looks, inexplicable charm, and striking voice, all qualities that scored him a position in One Direction, often shortened to 1D, along with fellow X Factor contestants Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, and, of course, Harry Styles. 

Then, this year, Liam unexpectedly fell off his third-story balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Fans all across the globe mourned his death; but even more than that, they celebrated him, from his profound impact on pop culture to his amazing accomplishments, on and off stage. 

As a proud Directioner since age four, I may be a bit biased, but Liam has had a valuable impact in the music setting. In 2010, when One Direction was first formed, his role was often the ‘smart’ one of the band, always giving the members someone to talk to, hyping up his teammates, and providing the fans with a kind, sensible role model. “Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve,” Harry Styles wrote in his Instagram statement on Liam’s passing.  “[...] He was warm, supportive, and incredibly loving.” 

Liam was exceedingly successful during his career in One Direction. He and his bandmates quickly rose to fame, with their first single, “What Makes You Beautiful”, hitting number one on the UK charts and staying on the chart for 78 weeks! Since then, they have sold 70 million records across the world and have won numerous awards, including four MTV Video Music Awards, seven Brit Awards, and six Billboard Music Awards. One Direction is now considered one of the best-selling boy bands of all time, which they could not have achieved without Liam’s exceptional songwriting skills and incredible voice. He was, and will always be, the core of 1D.

When I heard that Liam had died, I was sitting in my cousin’s car as she drove me home from school, informing me of the members’ statements. Their songs were blasting from her speakers as I looked out the window. I have, and will continue to, grow up with their music, from boyish ballads like “Kiss You” to melancholic melodies such as  “Where Do Broken Hearts Go.” Yet, as I sobbed internally, I remembered each time I laughed at YouTube videos of the boys, guessed in One Direction trivia, and belted out their lovesick lyrics in my aunt’s car. Liam’s death may have scarred thousands of fans, but his love will heal it all.