“We’re so proud of him”- Building the Band judge Nicole Scherzinger reflects on working with the late Liam Payne

The finale episode of Building the Band was released on July 23, 2025. It saw 3QUENCY, Wennely Quezada, Brianna Mazola, and Nori Royale winning the competition. Mentoring them through the season were judges Nicole Scherzinger, Kelly Rowland, and Liam Payne.

While Building the Band was still ongoing, Nicole appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers. A clip of this episode was posted on the official YouTube channel of the show on July 15, 2025. In the clip, Nicole was seen talking about the Tony award she just won and reflecting on her experience of shooting Building the Band.

"We've dedicated the show to Liam, we're so proud of him," Nicole said.

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What Building the Band judge Nicole Scherzinger said about co-judge Liam Payne

Seth Meyers mentioned that it must be bittersweet to watch the show back because Liam was no more. Nicole confirmed that it indeed was bittersweet to watch the show, but at the same time, they were proud of Liam. She stated that he had an "amazing time," having fun doing the show together.

"He's such a beautiful, kind soul and heart," she added.

She also stated that they would have never continued to share the show with the audience until they had blessings from his family. He shared that his family was there during the filming of the show, and they were all proud of him. She said she was excited for everyone to see him shining on Building the Band.

She added that it was "cool" because they had come full circle from X Factor to One Direction. She said he had walked the musical path, so he was the perfect person to help people in this way and give back to the music community. She said he loved the experience and believed in the bands of the show.

"That'd be a wonderful thing for people to see," Seth added.

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What else did Building the Band judge Nicole Scherzinger talk about?

Seth mentioned the solo shows that Nicole was about to do and asked her where she would be performing them. She stated that she was going to do them at some iconic venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, and Disney Hall. She shared that the tickets went on sale a few days ago and were now sold out.

Nicole Scherzinger from Building the Band (Image via Instagram/@nicolescherzinger)

Ahead in the interview, the Building the Band star shared that receiving the Tony award was an out-of-body experience because she also got to perform at the award function. She said that it was an honour to get introduced by Glenn Close and to get the award from Oprah Winfrey.

"I'm excited, I'm taking a piece of Norma with me always and forever, and then I'm just going to take her with me to the beach as well. We're going to have a lot of pasta and a lot of cheese," Nicole joked.

She was referring to the award, which she won for her role as Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd. She shared that she had placed the award right at the entrance of her house, alongside the framed letter from Oprah.

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For more updates on Building the Band star Nicole Scherzinger, fans can follow her official Instagram handle, @nicolescherzinger. Fans can follow Liam Payne on his Instagram account, @liampayne.