One Direction star Liam Payne spotted enjoying North Coast holiday
Last updated 14th Oct 2023
One Direction star Liam Payne was spotted yesterday exploring one of Northern Ireland's most popular tourist attractions - Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge along the North Coast.
A member of the National Trust team grabbed a quick selfie with the 'What Makes You Beautiful' singer and shared it on social media.
The post reads: "Welcome and Service Assistant, Josh, was over the moon yesterday when he spotted One Direction star, Liam Payne!."
They continued: "Josh was more than happy to share his knowledge of the site, and answer any questions Liam had (all in exchange for a pic of course!) We hope Liam had a fantastic visit to Carrick-a-Rede, and that he enjoys the rest of his time in Northern Ireland."
It's believed Liam is here in Northern Ireland filming a travel documentary.
Despite having huge success with One Direction, followed by solo music such as 'Strip That Down' and 'For You' with Rita Ora, we've not had any new music from Liam since 'Sunshine' in 2021.
Earlier this year, Harry Styles sparked reunion rumours when he posted a photo of himself wearing a One Direction T-shirt as he worked out in a hotel gym, he later told his fans: "I guess some of us have secrets! Maybe, maybe like some people, you chose to keep it to yourself and maybe one day, you'll like accidentally post it to your Instagram followers."
Could we see a #1D reunion some time soon? Fingers crossed 🤞
Take a look at One Direction through the years:
2010: One Direction were born on The X Factor
One Direction formed on The X Factor in 2010. Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik auditioned as individual contestants and were put together as a group by Simon Cowell and guest judge Nicole Scherzinger.
2010: One Direction finish in third place on The X Factor
Despite racking up an army of fans during their time on the show, One Direction didn't win The X Factor. Instead they finished in third place behind Rebecca Ferguson and winner Matt Cardle.
2011: One Direction release first single 'What Makes You Beautiful'
After landing a record deal following their appearance on The X Factor, One Direction released their first ever single 'What Makes You Beautiful' in September 2011.
The single, which hit the Number 1 spot in the UK charts, served as the lead single from their debut album 'Up All Night'.
2011: One Direction release their debut album 'Up All Night'
The 1D boys recorded their debut album in the UK, America and Sweden, releasing 'Up All Night' in November 2011 in the UK and Ireland.
The album featured lead single 'What Makes You Beautiful', as well as future singles, 'Gotta Be You' and 'One Thing'.
2011: One Direction return to The X Factor
After a successful year in the music industry, One Direction returned to the show that made them famous, to perform their single 'Gotta Be You'.
2011-2012: The Up All Night Tour
Following the success of their debut album, One Direction kicked off their The Up All Night Tour in Decmeber 2011, going on to play 54 dates across the UK, Ireland, Oceania and North America.
The tour was an instant success, with tickets for all dates selling out within a matter of minutes of going on sale. The tour was later turned into a DVD, titled Up All Night: The Live Tour.
2012: One Direction release second album 'Take Me Home'
One Direction didn't wait long before they released their second studio album! Titled 'Take Me Home', the boys dropped the album in November 2012, with it going on to top the charts in 35 countries!
'Take Me Home' featured singles such as 'Live While We're Young', 'Kiss You' and 'Little Things'.
2012: One Direction win their first ever BRIT Award
2012 was a great year for One Direction! The band picked up their first ever BRIT Award in the British Single category, for their debut single 'What Makes You Beautiful'.
The band beat the likes of Adele, Ed Sheeran, JLS and Olly Murs to pick up the gong, which became the first of seven for the band over the years.
2012: One Direction launch their own dolls
As if dominating the charts wasn't enough, the One Direction boys teamed up with Hasbro in 2012 to launch their very own range of plastic dolls.
2013: The Take Me Home Tour
After the worldwide success of their debut tour, One Direction went on their Take Me Home tour in 2013, playing at sold-out shows in countries like England, China, Australia and America.
2013: One Direction: This Is Us
Whilst touring the world with the Take Me Home tour in 2013, One Direction released a 3D-documentary film about the time on their road, titled One Direction: This Is Us.
The film, which showed clips of the boys on stage and behind the scenes, grossed $68 million worldwide.
2013: One Direction release their third album 'Midnight Memories'
Just weeks after finishing their massive Take Me Home tour, One Direction dropped their third studio album, titled 'Midnight Memories'.
The album flew straight to Number 1 in both the UK and the US, becoing the fastest selling album of 2013, despite being released just a few weeks before 2014.
The record featured the singles, 'Best Song Ever', 'Story of My Life', 'Midnight Memories', and 'You & I'.
2013: One Direction release charity single for Comic Relief
The One Direction boys did their bit for charity in 2013, mashing-up a medley of Blondie's 'One Way or Another' and The Undertones' 'Teenage Kicks'.
The track titled 'One Way Or Another (Teenage Kicks)' was released as the official Red Nose Day single in 2013, with then Prime Minister David Cameron even making a cameo appearance in the music video.
2013: One Direction land in Madame Tussauds
In 2013, One Direction become the first boy band to be created into waxworks for Madame Tussauds London since The Beatles' figures in 1964.
The waxworks were one of the museums most popular installments of the last decade, and we can see why!
2014: The Where We Are Tour
Following on from their mammoth 2013 tour, the 1D boys went back out on the road in 2014, this time with their Where We Are Tour.
Playing at sold-out dates across the world, the tour ran between April and October, with the boys performing at 69 shows in total.
The tour was the band's biggest to date, with over 3,439,560 million fans turning up to see their idols perform.
2014: One Direction release their fourth album
Released in November 2014, One Direction released their final album as a five-piece, titled 'Four'.
The album, which featured hits like 'Steal My Girl' and 'Stockholm Syndrome', debuted at Number 1 in a massive 18 countries!
2015: One Direction kick off their On The Road Again Tour
In February 2015, Harry, Zayn, Liam, Louis and Niall kicked off their fourth tour, titled On The Road Again. The tour, which turned out to be their last as a band, grossed $208 million from 80 shows.
2015: Zayn announces he's leaving
Zayn Malik broke the hearts of many One Direction fans in March 2015, announcing he was leaving the popular group.
One Direction said in a statement at the time, "After five incredible years Zayn Malik has decided to leave On Direction. Niall, Harry, Liam and Louis will continue as a four-piece and look forward to the forthcoming concerts of their world tour and recording their fifth album, due to be released later this year."
2015: One Direction continues as a group of four
Harry, Louis, Niall and Liam continued One Direction as a four-piece, finishing their On The Road Again tour in October 2015.
2015: One Direction release their final album
The One Direction boys dropped their first album as a four-piece in November 2015, titled 'Made In The A.M.'
The album, which turned out to be the band's last, featured singles like 'Drag Me Down', 'Perfect' and 'History', and went on to be the sixth best-selling album of 2015.
2015: One Direction announce their hiatus
Much to the heartbreak of fans across the world, One Direction announced they would be taking an extended hiatus, which would start in 2016.
2015: One Direction return to The X Factor for a final time
After confirming they were set to take a break, Harry, Louis, Liam and Niall performed at The X Factor final in December 2015, leaving fans in tears as they performed 'History'.
Simon Cowell thanked the band for their hard work over the years, expressing his admiration for the group.
2016: One Direction start their hiatus
Following their final televised performance on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve on 31st December 2015, the One Direction boys went their separate ways, all going on to release solo music.
2016: Louis Tomlinson becomes a dad
In January 2016, Louis announced the birth of his son Freddie Reign Tomlinson with his ex-girlfriend Brianne Jungwirth.
The singer uploaded this cute photo to his Instagram page and wrote on Twitter, 'I'm pleased to say my baby son was born yesterday :) He is healthy and pretty amazing :) I'm very happy!!'. (sic)
'I Don't Wanna Live Forever' with Zayn - 2017
This track was recorded for the soundtrack to 'Fifty Shades Darker', it was the most popular hit from the movie franchise.
Listen to 'I Don't Wanna Live Forever' on YouTube.
2016: Niall Horan releases his debut solo single 'This Town'
Niall delighted One Direction fans in September 2016 when he dropped his debut solo single 'This Town'. The track was the lead single from his debut album 'Flicker' which was released in 2017.
The singer went on to release hits such as 'Slow Hands' and 'Nice To Meet Ya', before dropping his second solo album, titled 'Heartbreak Weather' in March 2020.
2016: Louis Tomlinson teams up with Steve Aoki
Louis teamed up with American DJ Steve Aoki to release his debut solo single 'Just Hold On' in December 2016. Just days after the tragic death of his mum Johannah Deakin, Louis gave an emotional performance of the track on The X Factor.
The singer went on to release hits like 'Miss You', 'Back To You' and 'We Made It', before dropping his debut solo album 'Walls' in January 2020.
2017: One Direction win their seventh BRIT Award
Despite being on a hiatus, Liam and Louis attended the 2017 BRIT Awards to collect the band's seventh BRIT Award! The band picked up an award in the Best Video category for their single 'History'.
2017: Liam Payne becomes a dad
In March 2017, after one of the most secretive pregnancies ever, Liam announced he'd become a dad after his then girlfriend Cheryl Cole had given birth to a baby boy called Bear Grey Payne.
The couple sadly split in 2018, but both Liam and Cheryl continue to co-parent Bear.
2017: Harry Styles releases debut solo music
After much anticipation, in April 2017 Harry released his debut solo single 'Sign Of The Times', showing a complete different sound to One Direction.
The singer went on to release his self-titled debut album in the same year, before dropping his second album 'Fine Line' in 2019.
In May 2020, Harry excited fans by releasing the amazing music video for his latest single 'Watermelon Sugar'.
2017: Liam Payne kicks off his solo career
Following on from his 1D band mates, Liam dropped his debut solo single 'Strip That Down' in 2017, before going on to release hits like 'Get Low', 'For You' and 'Bedroom Floor'.
Despite making fans wait, Liam went on to drop his debut solo album 'LP1' in December 2019, before teaming up with Alesso for the single 'Midnight' in 2020.
2017: Harry Styles made his acting debut
After releasing his debut solo music, Harry also landed a role in Christopher Nolan's box office movie Dunkirk!
Harry played the role of a young solider called Alex, as hundreds of thousands of soldiers tried to evacuate from Dunkirk beach during the early stages of World War II.
2020: Zayn Malik announces he's going to become a dad
After years of dating on and off, in 2020 American model Gigi Hadid announced she was expecting her first child with former 1D singer Zayn Malik! They welcomed a baby girl called Khai in September 2020, before splitting in October 2021.
2020: One Direction reunion rumours
After years of working on their solo careers, rumours of a One Direction reunion really started to become more frequent in 2020, as the boys celebrate their 10th year anniversary.
Despite a number of the lads teasing the possibility of a 1D reunion, up until now, nothing has been confirmed.
2022: One Direction's 'Drag Me Down' music video reaches 1 billion views
In May 2022, One Direction's 'Drag Me Down' music video reached 1 billion views on YouTube. The song was originally released in 2015, it was the first music video to not feature former member Zayn Malik, who had left earlier that year.
2023: One Direction's 'What Makes You Beautiful' reaches 1 billion streams
'What Makes You Beautiful' was the debut song released by One Direction back in 2011 and in August it reached 1 billion streams. It has already surpassed 1 billion views for the music video on YouTube.
Check out Liam Payne's solo career timeline:
Early life
Liam James Payne was born in the Heath Town district of Wolverhampton on 29th August 1993, to parents Karen and Geoff Payne.
Liam attended St Peter's Collegiate School where he picked up an impressive 11 GCSEs, before later going on to attend Wolverhampton College's Paget Road campus, where he studied music technology.
At the age of just 12, Liam was a member of the Pink Productions Theatre Company, where he took on the role of Tony Manero during a production of Saturday Night Fever.
2008: The X Factor - First audition
A fresh-faced Liam auditioned for talent show The X Factor as a 14-year-old in 2008, singing 'Fly Me to the Moon' by Frank Sinatra.
Despite making it all the way to the Judges' Houses stage of the competition, Simon Cowell advised he should return in two years.
2010: The X Factor - Second audition
And he certainly did just that, returning for another audition in 2010 at the age of 16.
This time, Liam performed a rendition of Michael Bublé's 'Cry Me A River', where he received a standing ovation from judges Simon, Cheryl, Louis and Nicole, as well as the studio audience.
Despite being one of the favourites to win the show, Liam failed to progress to Judges' Houses, but his journey wasn't over just yet...
2010: One Direction are formed on The X Factor
Thanks to the genius idea from guest judge Nicole Scherzinger, Liam was placed into a boyband alongside fellow auditionees Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan, forming One Direction.
The boys immediately clicked, going all the way to the final and finishing in fourth place behind Cher Lloyd, Rebecca Ferguson and winner Matt Cardle.
2010-2015: One Direction's global domination
Following their birth on The X Factor, One Direction went on to become the biggest boyband on the planet, releasing five studio albums and winning over 200 awards worldwide.
The group also achieved 4 UK Number 1 songs, including tracks 'What Makes You Beautiful', 'Little Things', 'One Way Or Another' and 'Drag Me Down'.
2016: One Direction begin their hiatus
After Zayn Malik left the group in 2015, Liam, along with Harry, Niall and Louis, carried on with the band for another year, releasing their final album 'Made In The A.M.' before starting their hiatus in 2016.
2016: Liam signs solo record deal
After months of rumours about his own music, Liam signed his first ever solo record deal with Republic Records in October 2016.
2017: Liam drops his first solo single 'Strip That Down'
Fans were delighted in May 2017 when Liam released an upbeat track called 'Strip That Down', written by the one and only Ed Sheeran.
The track performed very well in the charts, reaching Number 3 in the Official UK Charts and Number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
2017: Liam drops follow-up singles 'Get Low' and 'Bedroom Floor'
Following on from the success of his debut single 'Strip That Down', Liam teamed up with Zedd to release 'Get Low', before dropping bonus track 'Bedroom Floor'.
2018: Liam teams up with Rita Ora for Fifty Shades track
Liam joined forces with pop star Rita Ora in January 2018, with the pair duetting on hit single 'For You'. The song acted as the lead single from the soundtrack of the film Fifty Shades Freed.
Liam and Rita gave a number of amazing performances of the track, including at Hits Live and The BRIT Awards 2018.
2018: Liam's 'Strip That Down' receives two BRIT nominations
Liam picked up his first ever solo BRIT Award nominations at the 2018 ceremony, with his debut single 'Strip That Down' being nominated in the British Single and British Artist Video of the Year categories.
Unfortunately, Liam missed out on winning the awards on the night in February.
2018: Liam delays album and releases first EP
Following a successful year, Liam released his debut EP (extended play) in August 2018, featuring four tracks, including lead single 'First Time' with French Montana.
2018: Jonas Blue and Lennon Stella collab
Liam lent his vocals to DJ Jonas Blue's 2018 anthem 'Polaroid', alongside Canadian singer Lennon Stella. The track reached Number 12 on the UK Singes Chart and has since sold two million records.
2019: Another BRIT Award nomination
Liam received his third solo BRIT Award nomination at the 2019 awards, with himself and Rita Ora being nominated in the British Artist Video of the Year category for their track 'For You'.
Unfortunately, Liam and Rita missed out on the award to girl band Little Mix.
2019: Liam becomes Global Brand Ambassador for Hugo Boss
In May 2019, it was announced that Liam would become the first ever Global Brand Ambassador for fashion giant Hugo Boss.
2019: Liam releases his debut solo album 'LP1'
After confirming the release of his debut album had been postponed so he could make some adjustments (it was originally due for release in September 2018), Liam finally delighted fans in December 2019 when he released the album titled 'LP1'.
Liam took inspiration from Usher and Justin Timberlake for the album, featuring hits such as 'Familiar', 'Get Low', 'Strip That Down' and 'Stack It Up' featuring A Boogie wit da Hoodie.
'LP1' peaked at Number 17 on the Official UK Charts.
2019-2020: Christmas songs
Liam released his first ever Christmas song in 2019, a track called 'All I Want (For Christmas)', which was the first single off his debut solo album.
A year later in 2020, Liam teamed up with TikTok star Dixie D'Amelio to drop another Christmas hit, this time a track called 'Naughty List'.
2020: Hugo Boss x Liam Payne
After becoming the Global Brand Ambassador for Hugo Boss in 2019, Liam appeared in the fragrance campaign for their perfume Hugo Now in January 2020, before his capsule collection with the designer was launched in May 2020.
2020: Liam collabs with Alesso during lockdown
In an attempt to lift the spirits of his fans during the UK's 2020 lockdown, Liam teamed up with International DJ Alesso to drop the single 'Midnight'.
2021: 'Sunshine' and Ron's Gone Wrong
Liam released his first track of 2021 in October, a song called 'Sunshine' which features on 20th Century Studios animation Ron's Gone Wrong.
Liam also voices an animated character on the movie. He said: "I am such a big fan of Disney, so to be working on this is a dream come true. I can't wait for you all to hear Sunshine and to see "Ron's Gone Wrong." It has been a lot of fun!"
2022: Soccer Aid
Liam captained the England team, starring in a line-up alongside fellow musicians Tom Grennan and Aitch plus footballing legends Gary Neville and Teddy Sheringham. They went up against the World XI team made up of the likes of Usain Bolt, Munya Chawawa and Kem Cetinay, with footballer Patrice Evra adding to the more experienced side. Although the game ended 2-2, it went to penalties with the World team winning the game 4-1.
2023: Liam teases new music
Liam took to Instagram in January 2023 after a break to drop a hint that new music was on the way. Sharing a black-and-white photo of himself holding a phone to his ear, he shared the snap with the tongue-in-cheek caption: 'Please hold good times and music will be with you shortly 🎵.' Of course, fans went wild in the comments section, debating over when the new music would drop!
2023: Liam makes a return following time away from spotlight
In July 2023, Liam posted a YouTube video titled 'I'm back', where he candidly opened up about spending 100 days at a treatment centre in Louisiana, after becoming somebody who he didn't really recognise anymore.
Liam opened up about his relationship with his son Bear in the video, as well as apologising to his One Direction band mates for his comments during his time on Logan Paul's podcast.
In the candid vid, Liam revealed he's now in a better place and has more of a grip on life.
2023: South American tour dates
Liam announced he'd be heading over to South America to perform at dates in Peru, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico throughout September. Sadly in August he revealed he would have to postpone his tour as he had a serious kidney infection.
2024: Liam releases new single 'Teardrops'
Liam delighted fans in February 2024 by releasing a new single called 'Teardrops'. This came after Liam previously teased new music on his Instagram page.
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