Liam Payne’s Five Greatest Songs With One Direction, From ‘Little Things’ to ‘Fireproof’

In the early days of One Direction‘s world-dominating stardom, Liam Payne, who died Wednesday at the age of 31, was known as the ringleader of the teenage quintet. As a teen, Zayn Malik was too shy to deliver the high notes he’s known for today, which made Payne the backbone of the emotive chorus lines on covers the band performed for competition in “The X Factor.”

Payne’s vocal prowess was undeniable in his early on-screen cameos for the talent show (he first auditioned in 2008, and later returned in 2010 to form One Direction), singing a cover of Michael Bublé’s version of “Cry Me A River” while sporting a Justin Bieber-inspired haircut and a “swagger” that Simon Cowell famously endorsed as “on the money.”

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Indeed, Cowell wound up managing One Direction for much of their career, and Payne went on to deliver some of their most memorable musical moments. His soaring vocals ring throughout the group’s early albums, their 2011 debut “Up All Night” and the following year’s “Take Me Home.” He and Louis Tomlinson also claim major songwriting real estate on the band’s five albums, most notably on their final efforts, “Four” and “Made in the A.M.”

With a discography that defined pop music in the 2010s, One Direction’s legacy is defined by the contributions of its individual members. Variety takes a look back at his best songs.

“Fireproof” (2014) — A breezy song about maintaining the spark of a new connection, this single was the first indication that One Direction was pivoting towards a more mature and indie rock-leaning sound in their fourth studio effort. It was available as a free download for 24 hours on their website (largely because the song had been leaked on Tumblr), with the members issuing statements that they hoped fans would find something to appreciate in this new approach. Payne co-wrote the track with Tomlinson, along with John Ryan, Jamie Scott, Julian Bunetta and Carolina Velert. Payne performs the first chorus line with a tone of celebratory freedom: “‘Cause nobody knows you, baby, the waaaaaay I do,” he cheers. “It’s been so long, it’s been so long, maybe you were fiiiiireproof.”

“More Than This” (2012) — This became one of Payne’s signature songs in the band’s earliest performances. It confirmed his role as a pillar of the band’s vocal composition, seeing that he not only opens and closes the acoustic pop ballad — with the striking opening line, “I’m broken, do you hear me?” — but his tender performance rings throughout. The fourth and final single for One Direction’s debut album, the track helped to define One Direction’s sound at the time, with the chorus sitting on a foundation of synthesizers, and the lyrical content touching on the heartbreak of an unrequited love.

“What a Feeling” (2015) — Shortly after Malik exited the band in 2015, One Direction continued as a quartet for just one more year and album. Despite it being the only set from the band to not debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, “Made In The A.M.” had a lot of long-lasting fan favorites, including this tambourine-tinged song, which was said to have been inspired by Fleetwood Mac. Payne again opens the song, but shines on the evenly harmonized chorus — and the gauzy “oohs” and “ahhs” that play out in-between — with the rest of his bandmates.

“Little Things” (2012) — Ask any die-hard One Direction fan where they were when this song and music video were released, and you are guaranteed to receive a detailed answer. It was a striking release for the band, who had not previously dabbled in such folky instrumentation. They seemed to grasp the impact of this switch, choosing to record the black-and-white video (which has garnered over 400 million views on YouTube) in the same recording studio where they were first introduced to the song by Ed Sheeran, who brought the single to the band after getting it from Fiona Bevan. Payne’s inflections shined the most on ballads like these, where there was nothing but vocals and guitars.

“Better Than Words” (2013) — Payne once revealed the idea for this song started as a game between he and his co-writers where they could only use song titles of pop hits — from Beyoncé’s “Crazy In Love” to Elvis Presley’s “I’m All Shook Up” — to complete it. All five members contribute to the chorus, with Payne and Harry Styles coming through the strongest on harmonies. “We realized that ‘Better Than Words’ was the only one we used that wasn’t an actual song title, so we chose to use it as the title the song,” Payne said.