Getty ImagesLiam Payne first registered on the pop radar as a fresh-faced 14-year-old, trying out for The X Factor in 2008.
"I should really be concentrating on my [school] work but I just think about singing too much," he said before his first audition, his Wolverhampton accent and thick fringe front and centre.
"It's a dream and I'd love to do it."
His rendition of Fly Me To the Moon impressed the judges, as did his boyish charm – he showed a cheeky streak when he flashed a mid-song wink at Girls Aloud star Cheryl.
But Simon Cowell wasn't quite convinced he was ready, so told him to do his GCSEs and come back in two years.
Live: Liam Payne dies after falling from hotel balcony in Buenos Aires'Just a boy' – tributes paid to Liam Payne, dead at 31Watch: Fans react to his death in ArgentinaThe former One Direction star's life in pictures Getty ImagesLiam (centre) was put in a band with (left-right) Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik on The X FactorWhen Liam did just that, auditioning with another classic song, Cry Me A River, in 2010, the missing pieces were all now in place.
As he started singing, Cowell's eyes lit up as he registered Liam's newfound maturity and charisma.
Whatever the X factor is, Liam had it.
The judges still faced a tough decision that year – so during a discussion about whom to save, they decided they could keep five boys by putting them together in a group.
Liam, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles were informed they were now a boy band – and One Direction were born.
They didn't actually win The X Factor that year, coming third behind Matt Cardle and Rebecca Ferguson in a final watched by 17 million people.
But Cowell knew a good thing when he saw it. He signed them to his label and, after waiting nine months to release their debut single, they soon outpaced their rivals.