‘Building the Band’ Kicks Off with Tribute to Liam Payne: ‘We Never Imagined We’d Soon Be Saying …

Explore the latest developments concerning 'Building the Band'.

How 'Building the Band' Addresses Judge Liam Payne's Death

Shop the Hottest Prime Day Deals Right Now: Tarte, Shark, Color Wow and More

The late One Direction singer makes his final television appearance in the new Netflix singing competition — and fans are tuning in to see his last moments on screen.

Payne died on Oct. 16, 2024, after falling from a third floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31. His death sent a wave of shock across the world, as fans of the musician mourned his sudden death.

Before he died, Payne had filmed “Building the Band,” working as a judge alongside host and Backstreet Boy AJ McLean, mentor and judge Nicole Scherzinger and judge Kelly Rowland.

Nicole Scherzinger Opens Up About Working With Liam Payne on ‘Building the Band’: ‘This Was His Happy Place’

“I love doing things that break all the rules,” says Nicole Scherzinger with a smile during a sit-down interview with Billboard at Netflix’s New York City office. “It doesn’t get any more real than having a band put themselves together without any record execs or labels telling them what they have to do, what they have to look like. That doesn’t work anymore. That’s the old formula.”

Scherzinger is talking about Building the Band, a new singing competition that premieres on Netflix Wednesday (July 9) and finds her serving as a mentor and judge. An engrossing, potent cocktail of Love Is Blind and The X Factor, Building the Band tracks young singers from across the globe as they form their own groups without ever having met in real life: Contestants can hear each other’s auditions and talk on the phone, but the first time they see each other is during their debut performance as a band. “It was solely based off of music compatibility and chemistry and connection. Sight unseen,” says Scherzinger, who calls the show a “social experiment” that worked out “better than we could have imagined.”

For more detailed information and comprehensive insights, explore recent updates concerning 'Building the Band'.

For more news, visit: For more news…