During a recent interview on July 10, 2025, with Entertainment Weekly, Nicole Scherzinger shared a moment that stood out to her while filming Building the Band, in which guest judge Liam Payne sang to fans between takes. “He’s singing ‘That’s What Makes You Beautiful’ to his fans ’cause they were all freaking out that he was there and he just he just loved it. That was a, it was a special memory," she said.The show marked a reunion between Scherzinger and Payne, years after she had witnessed his X Factor audition, and now alongside him as a fellow judge on Building the Band.Building the Band highlights Liam Payne’s legacy through mentorship and musicRevisiting Liam’s journey from audition to mentorDuring her interview with Entertainment Tonight, Scherzinger recalled and reflected on her early role in helping form One Direction.“I still remember the day that I saw Liam auditioning on The X Factor, and putting the band together, putting One Direction together,” referring to her involvement in the group’s creation.Nicole emphasized that One Direction succeeded through their own efforts after being formed, highlighting that "all the work themselves" came from the group. She emphasized how witnessing Payne now offering advice on Building the Band was significant given his earlier journey. In her words,“He had the global success that he had with One Direction and himself. It was like a phenomenon… for him to have achieved that success and then to be coming back and giving advice and mentoring these contestants was… really cool for me to see.”The full-circle impactLiam Payne appeared in the series’ seventh episode as a guest judge. Building the Band’s format brought together up-and-coming artists who selected their bandmates based only on sound. For Scherzinger, returning to that environment alongside Liam highlighted the connections formed through music.“It was really full circle and really really beautiful,” she said in the interview.Nicole Scherzinger recalled how filming breaks often turned into interactive moments with fans, who would request different performances from the judges. She recalled:"Oh yes, that's right. Because the fans would make us do in the breaks different things."Scherzinger described one of the off-camera moments during filming, explaining that she sang, Kelly contributed something as well, and then Liam talked to everyone and delivered a full performance. She referred to it as "amazing."Building the Band honors Payne’s legacy View this post on Instagram Instagram PostBuilding the Band features 50 contestants forming music groups without seeing one another. These blind auditions led to the creation of six bands competing for a $500,000 prize.Judges played no role in forming the groups, a decision that allowed for unexpected pairings as the 50 participants formed their own bands based solely on hearing each other's voices, without seeing appearances or receiving guidance.Liam Payne’s contributions extended beyond what was captured on camera. Kelly Rowland noted,"He was just honest. He called everything out, you know what I mean? Before they saw it, before we saw it”AJ McLean, the show’s host, said Payne’s presence in the series offered fans an opportunity to witness a side of him that reflects who he truly was. He emphasized that getting to see the "real, true him" on the show allows the world to remember Liam in a way that feels genuine and lasting.Stream Building the Band on Netflix.