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Liam Payne: Boy band star who had the X factor
Liam Payne first registered on the pop radar as a fresh-faced 14-year-old, trying out for The X Factor in 2008.
“I should really be concentrating on my [school] work but I just think about singing too much,” he said before his first audition, his Wolverhampton accent and thick fringe front and centre.
“It’s a dream and I’d love to do it.”
His rendition of Fly Me To the Moon impressed the judges, as did his boyish charm – he showed a cheeky streak when he flashed a mid-song wink at Girls Aloud star Cheryl.
But Simon Cowell wasn’t quite convinced he was ready, so told him to do his GCSEs and come back in two years.
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