“He brings a joy to the show”- Building the Band judge Nicole Scherzinger gets emotional about Liam Payne 

Building the Band season 1 concluded on July 23, 2025. It saw the three judges, Nicole Scherzinger, Liam Payne, and Kelly Rowland, guiding the bands and bringing out their potential.

Former One Direction star Liam Payne passed away on October 16, 2024, which was weeks after the filming schedule for Building the Band wrapped up in August 2024. This show marked his last appearance on screen. Nicole and Kelly shot with him through the summer of that year and shared proximity in his last days.

Nicole reflected on the time she spent with Liam in an interview with TODAY, which was uploaded on the news channel's official YouTube handle on July 25, 2025.

"He just shines on the show, and he just brings joy to the show," she said.

---

What did Building the Band judge Nicole Scherzinger say about her co-judge Liam Payne?

Building the Band poster (Image via Netflix)

The host of the TODAY interview, Willie Giest, mentioned Liam's passing and appreciated the blessing and the tribute his family wrote for him during the show Building the Band. He then asked Nicole what Liam brought to the set that gave her an insight into him.

She responded that she "put" the One Direction together, referring to the time she mentored the group on the singing reality show, X Factor. She said because of that, it felt like they had come full circle. She believed that it was a full circle moment for Liam as well because he was helping people in his field through Building the Band after the success he achieved.

"He's brought the personal experience. He's lived it," she added.

She got emotional while saying that she was excited for people to see the show because Liam just shone in it. She called him a "natural, beautiful, bright light," and added that anyone who got to know him felt that he had a "kind" and "giving" heart.

Nicole praised the fact that he was giving back after doing it all because he was able to give good advice to the bands from his personal experiences. She said that was the reason he was "great" at what he was doing on the show and added that he shone on it.

She also said that he brought joy and sweetness to the show and that she was blown away by him, even when she was working with him.

"I was like, 'Wow, he really knows what he is talking about,'" she said.

She praised his way of articulation and his politeness. She also stated that he was a dear friend of hers, and so she was happy that the people were getting to remember him in a beautiful light.

Liam Payne (Image via Instagram/@liampayne)

Host Willie agreed with Nicole, saying that the show would be beautiful for his fans because it felt "dark" when they heard the news of his passing, so they needed to see what he was like on Building the Band. Addressing the tragic way of his passing, Nicole stated:

"Everyone's complicated, it's called humans. It's the human spirit and soul".

Liam passed away after he reportedly fell from a third-floor balcony while he was intoxicated. Reports procured by the BBC stated that he tried to leave the room through the balcony, but fell to his death.

Nicole said that she could only pray for people to be more compassionate and not speculate.

---

For more updates on Building the Band judge Nicole Scherzinger, fans of the show can follow her official Instagram, @nicolescherzinger.