One Direction took the world by storm when they released their first single, “What Makes You Beautiful” in 2011. The group had been on the popular singing competition, X-Factor. The guys had all struck out as solo artists, but when they were grouped together, it was an instant success. Since the band broke up, the guys have been pursuing success as solo artists. Liam Payne released his first single, “Strip That Down,” in 2017. His debut album followed in 2019. Payne finally made it as a solo artist, after a difficult childhood and a whirlwind music career with One Direction. He also happens to have a really weird phobia–which apparently isn’t that strange among the Hollywood crowd…
Liam Payne overcame a difficult childhood disease
Liam Payne was born in 1993 in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, according to Live Biography. Payne grew up in England with his parents and two older sisters. Unfortunately, his childhood was difficult due to a medical problem. When Payne was a young child, he was constantly in and out of the hospital, where he underwent numerous tests. By the time he was four years old, the doctors discovered that he had a problem with one of his kidneys — it was scarred and dysfunctional.
Sadly, he became accustomed to the daily shots of painkillers that were necessary to help him lead a comfortable life. Miraculously, the singer got wonderful news in 2012. After having a routine ultrasound to check on his kidney function, he learned that his bad kidney was now functioning normally. He was ecstatic with the news and looked forward to leading a normal, comfortable life.
From being bullied to One Direction
As a child, Payne was the target of frequent bullying from his peers, Hello Magazine reports. He began boxing as a method of self-defense. He soon grew to love it and continued boxing for years. Although he always loved music, Payne was also very interested in sports when he was growing up. He enjoyed cross-country running, and was part of the Wolverhampton and Bilstic Athletics Club. He attempted to make the English national team for the Olympics in 2012 but was placed on the reserve list.
His path to the music industry wasn’t smooth, and his big break didn’t come easily. He began his entertainment career at 12 years old, as a member of the Pink Productions Theatre Company. He was charming on stage, and audiences enjoyed his performances. When Payne was 14 years old, he auditioned for the X-Factor. Payne sang Sinatra’s “Fly Me To the Moon” but the judges were unimpressed and Simon Cowell suggested he come back in two years. He returned two years later, performing “Cry Me a River.”
The judges were more impressed this time around, and Payne received a standing ovation. He made it through the early rounds, only to be cut again as a solo act. Guest judge Nicole Scherzinger recognized his potential, however, and offered him a golden opportunity. Payne joined a group with four other contestants who hadn’t made it, and they continued to compete as a band. They finished in third place and were offered a contract with Simon Cowell’s Syco record label. One Direction quickly became a popular boy band across the globe.
The One Direction celeb has an issue with spoons
We’ve all heard about some pretty weird phobias. Apparently, there’s a lot of celebrities out there who have them. Christina Ricci is afraid of houseplants, Matthew McConaughey steers clear of revolving doors, and Rita Ora is scared of toilets. Liam Payne made that list of wacky celebrity phobias–the English singer has a fear of spoons. Although, to say he’s “afraid” of spoons may not be exactly correct–it’s more of an “aversion” to spoons.
Payne explained that he wasn’t always the best-behaved student when he was in school. One of the punishments for his less-than-stellar behavior was to wash dishes in the school kitchen. What were the dirtiest things that turned up in his sink? Spoons. According to People, he said, “I had to wash all these nasty spoons and then it’s just stuck with me after. I don’t know what people are doing with their spoons, I don’t want to know!”
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