2017 was a huge year for Liam Payne, he made his solo debut with the world and quickly showed them he was not messing around. He released two tracks of his own, featured on another with Zedd and performed them all to millions of fans around the world. At just 24 years old he’s managed to create a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and get over 599 million streams on Spotify. Here’s a look back at some highlights of Liam Payne’s 2017.
The Brits
Liam kicked off this year by making a surprise appearance at The Brits to accept One Direction’s award for Best British Video. His short but sweet appearance warmed fans hearts all around the world, exclaiming “One Direction is who we are who we always will be.”
Strip That Down
“Strip That Down” was just the beginning of Liam Payne’s solo career. The successful debut written by Liam and Ed Sheeran smashed the charts and won the world’s attention.
Peaking at number #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40, #4 on Billboard Radio Songs, #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #3 on the Official UK Charts, it was safe to say that an Liam was making a pretty remarkable name for himself. Now over seven months after its release, “Strip That Down” has garnered over 432 million streams on Spotify and 230 million views on YouTube. Not to mention its 16 platinum certifications around the world!
Get Low
Almost a year after Liam made a pit stop to join Zedd at one of his residency shows in Las Vegas, the duo released their collaboration “Get Low”.
Zedd and Liam took to the streets of London to create a unique video featuring fans just enjoying themselves. Billboards were also placed all around the globe promoting the collaboration including cities like Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
Good Morning America, Capital Summertime Ball, the Graham Norton Show and more!
Promo was in full force throughout 2017 for Liam Payne. His first live performance as a solo artist was on The Graham Norton Show in May and just a few couple days later he took to Wembley Stadium to play “Strip That Down” for thousands of screaming fans.
In the US, Liam quickly took to The Late Late Show with James Corden and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to put on stellar performances of “Strip That Down.” In July he made a special appearance on Good Morning America and hit the stage with Zedd to perform “Get Low” for their more than four million daily viewers.
Bedroom Floor
After three months of no new music, Liam released “Bedroom Floor” which is what he calls his favourite track off his upcoming debut album. The song had been teased for months prior to its release and it was revealed that Charlie Puth actually wrote the track for him. Alongside the studio release came a stellar lyric video and amazing reaction from fans.
With most of the song being sung in falsetto, many doubted how well the track would be performed live. Liam, however, exceeded everyone’s expectations on shows like the X Factor and Sounds Like Friday Night nailing every single note of the song including the even higher note at the end!
iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball Tour
Following up a few US Summer promo shows, it was announced that Liam Payne would be on the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball tour throughout late November and early December. The shows spanned all across the continental United States from California to Florida and were also televised live from The Forum in Los Angeles. This could be considered his first tour as a solo artist!
Radio 1 Teen Music Awards and Pride of Britain
Liam had a number of appearances at award events and he definitely made the ones he attended count. During the Radio 1 Teen Music Awards he killed a performance of both “Strip That Down” and “Get Low”. Just a couple months later he suited up for the Pride of Britain Awards and made an appearance to give an award to a brave young girl who saved her mom’s life by calling 911.
Puppies and Hot Wings
Many interviews were conducted throughout the span of 2017, however, two of the most memorable involved puppies and hot wings. The first taking place in New York at Buzzfeed. Fans sent in questions that they had for Liam Payne to answer on camera. Little did they know that he would actually be answering the questions while playing with adoptable puppies, how adorable!
In July he also stopped by First We Feast to answer questions for 20 minutes while simultaneously eating hot wings. The interview really tested his limits when it came to hot sauce and was also informative and entertaining! Food is the perfect way to get insight on how someone truly thinks.
Liam Payne reached heights of success in 2017 that many considered impossible for a debut artist. While this year was full of great music, music videos, performances, appearances and interviews, we can’t wait to see what he brings to the table in 2018!