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Building the Band, the last project that Liam Payne worked on before his death at 31, premiered on Netflix
During a July 14 appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, mentor and judge Nicole Scherzinger confirmed that it was “bittersweet” to see the show after the One Direction star’s death
“We’re just really proud of him, and I’m excited for everyone to see Liam shine,” she said
Nicole Scherzinger has some “bittersweet” feelings about her new Netflix reality series Building the Band, which is the last project that Liam Payne worked on before his October 2024 death.
The 47-year-old Tony winner acts as a mentor and judge on the competition show, which features musicians putting themselves together into bands without ever seeing each other. Payne, who died in an accidental fall in October at age 31, is also a judge.
During a Monday, July 14 appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Scherzinger opened up about the decision to air the show after Payne’s death.
She confirmed to host Seth Meyers that seeing Building the Band, which has been dedicated to the late One Direction singer, is “bittersweet.”
“We’re so proud of him. He had such an amazing time. We had so much fun doing the show together, and he’s such a beautiful, kind soul and heart,” she said.
Scherzinger continued, adding, “We would have never continued, you know, shared the show unless we had his family’s blessings.”
“We’re just really proud of him, and I’m excited for everyone to see Liam shine,” the Pussycat Dolls alum said. “It’s really cool. We’ve come full circle, especially Liam and I from X Factor to One Direction, and he’s walked this path so he’s the perfect person to be able to help people in this way. And he loved it. He really believed in the bands and the show.”
Courtesy of Netflix ©2025
Kelly Rowland, Liam Payne and Nicole Scherzinger in episode 110 of Building The Band.
In 2022, a 2010 video from X Factor surfaced, showing that Scherzinger had a hand in putting One Direction together.
“Honestly, I never thought this footage would see the light of day,” she said during an appearance on Sherri in September 2022. “I thought Simon burned it.”
She added, “It’s really cool that it came out, because what people are actually seeing is me actually putting them together, the way my mind was working.”
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Courtesy of Netflix ©2025
AJ McLean and Nicole Scherzinger in episode 104 of Building The Band.
Speaking to Meyers, Scherzinger reflected on her own roots. Her career started with an appearance on another reality series called Pop Stars.
“I just knew, Seth, that I loved to sing. That was my passion to perform, but I just didn’t have confidence,” she recalled of that time in her life.
What advice would she have for her younger self? “I wish I could tell my younger self just to believe in yourself more. And we don’t realize how powerful we really are. And I think that’s important for everybody.”
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