Harry Styles and Liam PayneThat friendship goes beyond One Direction.
The singer met when they were bandmates (together Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik) during his duties The X factor in 2010. As a five-piece, the group released four albums together before Malik’s departure from the band in March 2015. The members released one more album before announcing an indefinite hiatus in December 2015.
While they all went on to release solo music, some former band members remained close. Styles and Payne didn’t make their ongoing friendship a public ordeal, but the duo continued to support each other’s careers. (Payne died at age 31 in October 2024 after falling from a hotel balcony.)
“We’ve all been successful in different areas, and also musically, we’ve never gone down the same route. I think Harry is amazing,” Payne said during an appearance on the “Diary of a CEO” podcast in June 2021. “I mean, his first album had one really good song and then (on) his second album, he found himself.”
Since the split of One Direction in 2016, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik have found success in the music industry. All five original members have embarked on solo careers, with Malik being the first to do so after abruptly leaving the boy band in March 2015. He later signed (…)
Keep scrolling to see Styles and Payne’s friendship through the years:
July 2010
Payne and Styles were members of the band when One Direction was officially formed The X factor.
April 2013
During a London concert, Payne famously pulled Styles’ pants during a performance of “What Makes You Beautiful.”
August 2015
When doing as part of Good morning America Summer Concert Series, Payne and Styles wrapped their arms around each other in a group photo with Horan and Tomlinson.
June 2017
Payne shared a tribute to Styles’ late stepfather, Robin Twist.
“Harry my heart goes out to you on a very sad day for all of us who knew Robin,” she wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post. “Good, gentle and beautiful souls are rare to find in today’s world. Sometimes they really take the best out of us very quickly.
October 2017
Payne revealed during an interview with the UK Sun who had “bumped” Gaya while in New York City.
“He’s been through a rough time recently. God bless him, he was so happy to see me. The funniest thing is that we don’t talk about business. Dunkirk came out and all this stuff happened, and we just hugged each other,” Payne said. “We didn’t say much but you could tell we were really happy to see each other. It’s like touching base.
December 2019
Payne and Styles performed at the CapitalFM Jingle Bell Ball later that year.
“We talked about a few things,” Payne said Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen later in the same month. “It’s so nice to see him, he’s just like the boy I left behind.”
Liam Payne navigated a series of ups and downs throughout his career in the spotlight ahead of his tragic death at 31. Payne rose to fame as a member of the British boy band One Direction alongside Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik. The group was joined and mentored by Simon Cowell (…)
June 2021
During Instagram Live, Payne revealed that she and Styles had spoken on the phone to have a “beautiful” conversation.
“He called me because he had a sixth sense if I was struggling or if one of them was in trouble, I felt,” Payne said at the time. “I talked to him, and it was amazing. And I’ve fallen in love with the man. He’s amazing, he’s amazing.
February 2023
Following Styles’ multiple Grammy Awards win, Payne posted a social media tribute to his former friend.
“Wow… this picture really needs to wake up and when you write music like you do, Harry you deserve every millisecond when you look down smiling at the trophy you’ve won,” he said on Instagram. “Alhamdulillah, congratulations brother.”
