Liam Payne on being a dad: ‘Cheryl’s got most of it covered’

Former One Direction band member Liam Payne has told Cool FM his dream is to work on a collaboration with Calvin Harris.

The 24-year-old was speaking to Curtis McCosh after his new single featuring J Balvin Familiar dropped.

Liam, who has worked with Rita Ora, Quavo, Ed Sheeran and Zedd in the past, said he has always admired the Scottish DJ:

“Calvin Harris has always been massive for me because I was a huge fan when I was younger and obviously his new song with Dua (Lipa) is absolutely amazing so I think he’d be one I’d like to target a little bit,” he said.

His most recent collaboration saw Liam link up with reggaeton singer J Balvin.

Liam said: “We kind of met up and we found out that we liked each other through a mutual friend and he’s a really, really, wonderful nice guy.

“I showed him the song…he took it away, he kind of got involved with the whole song so that was special for me.

“I kept everything on that he did and that’s how it was birthed,” he added.

The singer songwriter rose to fame with boyband One Direction after winning the X Factor in 2010.

But after announcing their break in 2015, he has enjoyed success as a solo artist.

Liam said music from his childhood in the late 80s and early 90s inspired his current singles:

“That’s the era I grew up in really so that’s the kind of music that I would listen to obviously…Usher, Justin Timberlake, also Robbie Williams as well.

“Those are the kind of people I’m influenced the most by I’d say.

“It’s not really an extremely personal album but there’s definitely personal bits on there of different things that I’ve gone through or am currently through.”

And he added: “I wanted to talk to my generation about my experiences with love… and all sorts of stuff.”.

The For You singer has had his hands full after he became a dad for the first time just over a year ago.

Liam made the headlines after he got together with former X Factor judge and Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole, 10 years his senior, in 2016.

They welcomed their son Bear in March last year and Liam said he is enjoying being a dad:

“It’s going well, it’s difficult going away all the time,” he said.

“That’s one of the hardest bits about it but I would rather go away and work hard for what I have and show my son that example than stay at home,” he added.

At just 24, the singer from Wolverhampton is balancing fatherhood with his solo career but insisted it wass worth all the time apart:

“Even though I’d love to spend every minute with him I just don’t think I’m teaching him anything and that’s important for me as a dad,” he said.

“At this point, I think being a dad, it’s hard to judge what you’re really extremely necessary for because Cheryl’s got a lot of it covered.

“My job is just to make him smile every so often and that’s the thing for me.”

Proving he is a man of many talents, the 1D star said he gets his hands dirty looking after his son but thinks it is important to set an example:

“I go in and I do the nappies and all that sort of stuff but what do I really want to teach him and the only thing that I can do at the moment is keep moving and show him that when you were born these were the things that I did,” he said.

“And however successful I am, those are the things I can explain to him this is why I did it.

“I think it’s very important that I get around and do this especially while he’s young and learning so that when he’s old enough I can say ‘look that’s where you want to be at.’

“Anything you want to do, any passion you have in life, whether it’s singing, dancing, acting…or being a businessman or a shopkeeper… that’s what you have to do.

“If you want to get good at what you do, you’ve got to work hard.”

Liam told us his first album is due out this summer.

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