This proves the singer hasn’t forgotten where he came from.
The members of One Direction have all gone wildly different ways in their music career since the band went on hiatus back in 2016. Niall Horan now has a folksy, country-inspired vibe to his singer-songwriter tracks. Louis Tomlinson has tackled electronic music, teaming up with artists like Steve Aoki and Bebe Rexha for his hits. Harry Styles has transformed into a Gucci-suit wearing retro-rocker. And Liam Payne has experimented with his sound across genres, working with artists like Zedd, J. Balvin, and Rita Ora.
But YSBnow was on the scene for Liam’s first-ever headlining solo showcase with Chase at the Beacon Theater in New York City, and he wasn’t afraid to work some classic 1D hits into his set. We nearly lost our minds when he dimmed the lights and started playing the “History” music video, which as you may recall, features vintage One Direction footage that captures so many epic moments of the band’s career – X Factor, Zayn Malik, and all.
Not only did he sing along to that beautiful track (which is honestly a total dedication to us loyal fans), but Liam sat down on the stage stairs (!!!) just like he did with “the boys,” and sang “Little Things.” Of course, he certainly knows how to entertain a crowd by giving us exactly what we want, but he also genuinely appreciates those older songs and the opportunities that came with them.
“I’ll never forget where I came from,” Liam shared in a new interview with People. “That’s why I love singing the 1D songs when I’m out and about. It’s quite nostalgic for me.” He even called his One Direction years “some of the best, best times in my life.” I mean, same.
“We did so much within the band that it’s so hard. How are you gonna top what we did? It’s amazing,” he continued. “So for me, this was like our chance at a bit of freedom. I think you can see that in all the boys and the way that they now are expressing themselves, and they wouldn’t before. This is the chance to do that. When I was finding my sound, I wanted to have more fun with it. I wanted to get collaborations. We’d never done that before. And it was really nice the way I was received within the industry of people wanting to work with me.”
We are so excited to see solo Liam rising, and we can’t wait to re-introduce ourselves to him when he finally drops that album!
Written by Kristine Hope Kowalski
