Just nine months after his tragic death, pop icon Liam Payne's final project, Building the Band, is set to air on Netflix, a decision wholeheartedly supported by his grieving parents.
Overwhelmed with emotion and pride at seeing their son's role as a mentor on the show, Liam's father Geoff and mother Karen gave Netflix the green light, feeling that "this is how we want everyone to remember Liam."
Nicole Scherzinger, a close friend and fellow judge on the series, shared her belief that the late One Direction singer will "shine" in what will be his final on-screen appearance. She revealed how Liam dedicated extra hours to guiding aspiring musicians on their journey to form bands for the streaming platform.
Liam felt a deep connection with the contestants, having experienced a similar path himself – from auditioning to becoming part of the world's biggest boy band within 18 months.
Nicole became visibly emotional discussing her time working with the English star, who tragically died of "polytrauma" last October after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.
She fondly recalled moments during filming breaks when Liam would sing a One Direction hit for the audience, encouraging his fellow judges to perform tunes as well.
Despite initial doubts about whether the show would proceed, Nicole confirmed that Liam's parents were resolute in their desire for his screen work to be seen and celebrated.
"Liam meant and means so much to all of us, and we were very obviously sensitive to the whole process," Nicole stated. "We ultimately left it into his family's hands and wanted to respect how they felt about everything and how to move forward."
She added, "And his parents were there during the filming. They were amazing. It was so wonderful. They were actually kind of sat right next to us through the whole process, and they've been with Liam and with us through this entire process. So to know that we had their blessing, to know that they were so proud of him on the show, they were like, ‘oh, yes, this is how we want everyone to remember Liam.’"
Nicole, famously responsible for assembling One Direction on The X Factordespite initial pushback from Simon Cowell, expressed her enthusiasm for viewers to see Liam in this new light.
"I am so thrilled for everyone to see Liam shine on this show," she said. "I just know that he was in his happy place coming full circle, having started out in a similar situation on a talent reality show, and then having the global success that he has had, and then to be able to give back and to mentor and to help these bands."
She further emphasised his dedication: "I know that he really enjoyed our filming process and being a part of this process. I know that he put in the extra hours that he wanted to work with these bands even off screen. So when I think about Liam in the show, I'm thrilled for everyone to see his light. And he was amazing. Sometimes he would, I mean, I would be like, wow, 'you just said that - that was awesome. I wish I said that. ‘ He was really great at this role. He was giving back, and that's one of his gifts. He was such a kind, caring heart, And like I said, and respect, he had the experience. He grafted with One Direction. He knows exactly what he's talking about."
Nicole described sitting alongside Liam as a judge as "crazy for me," remembering the day he auditioned for The X Factor. "We're onto something," she recalled thinking.
"But they did all the work themselves after that. And he had the global success that he had with One Direction in himself. It was a phenomenon, right? So for him to have achieved that success and then to be coming back and then giving that advice and mentoring these contestants was really cool for me to see. I don't know if someone should write a book. It was really full circle and really, really beautiful."
She also noted the connections many contestants had to her, Liam, and fellow judges AJ McLean and Kelly Rowland. "It was awesome. It was really sweet, Liam, actually, I don't know if the cameras were on or not, but when the cameras, when we were on a break, he actually sang What Makes You Beautiful to his fans, because they were all freaking out that he was there.
"And he just loved it. That was a special memory, and to be a part of that and to witness that. Because the fans would make us do different things in the breaks. I sang, Kelly did something and then Liam talked us all to put on a full show at concert. It was amazing."
Reflecting on why she and Liam were ideal choices for the Netflix series, Nicole shared her own philosophy: "I started out really with a talent reality show and I was just myself. That's the best advice I could always give is just leave with your heart and bring your balls of steel and let your talent speak for itself.”
Speaking toAccess and ET to promote Building The Band, Nicole, who recently won a Tony Award for her portrayal of Norma Desmond in "Sunset Boulevard," addressed the possibility of a Pussycat Dolls comeback. The 20th anniversary of the band's debut hit is approaching.
"I can't say anything right now. I’m still in Norma land, but I don't think it's off the table to say who knows what the future holds with the Dolls," she said.
When asked, "Do you all still keep in touch?", Nicole downplayed any group rivalries, responding, "Not currently. But I love the girls, And I guess in a weird way, if social media is keeping in touch when you're liking and commenting on their socials, I guess that's probably because everybody's so busy and half of the girls, they've got children and everything and their own family, so they're super busy."
Every episode of Building the Bandwill be available for streaming on Netflix starting July 9.