Liam Payne fans heartbroken over ‘special’ first glimpse of singer in Netflix series

Fans of Liam Payne are sharing their bittersweet thoughts after the late singer appeared in the trailer for the new Netflix series, Building the Band.

The One Direction star, who died in Argentina on October 2024 aged 31, will make his final onscreen appearance in the reality series in which 50 singers are vying for the chance to form their dream band.

Payne acts as one of the judges and mentors on the show alongside Nicole Scherzinger (The Pussycat Dolls) and Kelly Rowland (Destiny’s Child) and host AJ McLean of Backstreet Boys fame.

According the Netflix they will bring ‘ their unparalleled expertise and personal band experience to the competition’.

The official synopsis continues: ‘The singers are in complete control as they seek to form their very own bands in individual “booths” without ever seeing each other.

‘All they have to go on is musical compatibility, connection, chemistry and merit. What will happen when the bands finally meet, and looks, choreography, and style come into play?

‘With incredible performances, compelling drama, and one big goal – to find the next great music band -the stage is set for an unforgettable experience.’

In the new two-minute trailer we catch our first glimpse of the Teardrops singer in action as he offers advice, pearls of wisdom and opens up about his own experiences becoming part of a band that turned into a global phenomenen.

His inclusion has already proven emotional for his many fans as they look towards the new show.

‘Watching to see Liam for the last time,’ YouTube user Queenn1220 wrote.

‘Can’t wait to see Liam one last time,’ basiasembrat added.

‘I’m going to see Liam for the last time,’ nuellenetorres5420.

‘So emotional to see this, miss him a lot,’ 104c-rupalarya8 said.

‘I just want to say that I love you and miss you more than you could ever imagine Liam,’ unasacapunta93 shared.

‘It’s just an overflow of emotions idk what’s happening on one side I’m too damn happy tht we are seeing Liam again but It make more even more sad that I’ll never get to be this happy again cuz ik this is the last time we’ll see him on our screen Liam Payne,’ PayneisLove28 shared.

‘Ohh, can’t wait to see Liam. He looked so happy in the press photo’s we saw when this was made. I hope we get to see the magic he helped create,’ Kristinjane99 said.

‘This is going to hurt to see Liam for the last time,’ joelkyayonka.

In February, TV insiders told The Sun that the streamer wanted to reportedly strike the right balance when it came to how much Payne was featured in the show.

‘The feeling among execs at Netflix is that they want to err on the side of caution, and if that means having Liam in the least amount of scenes possible then that’s the step they’re willing to take.

‘They want to strike the right balance between having him feature in the show, doing the thing he loved, with having him feature too much, which would be a lot for his loved ones to contend with.’

They added that Netflix was having ongoing discussions with Payne’s family whose views were of ‘crucial consideration.’

Building the Band arrives on Netflix on July 9.

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