Liam Payne’s Final Performance Paid Homage to Pop Star He Once Feuded With

Former One Direction star Liam Payne’s final public performance included an homage to an American pop star with whom the British singer once feuded in the early aughts. The acoustic concert in an intimate London venue took place two years before Payne’s tragic death from falling off his third-story hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on October 16, 2024.

Following One Direction’s decision to take an indefinite hiatus in 2016, Payne struggled to achieve the same commercial success as a solo artist. He was in the middle of recording his second solo album at the time of his death. We revisit his final performance from February 12, 2022.

Watch Liam Payne’s Final Performance

According to SetList.FM, former One Direction star Liam Payne’s final performance took place in April 2022 at a private birthday party in the Bahamas. However, the last performance the British singer ever did that was available to the public occurred two months earlier, on February 12, 2022, in a private venue in London. The concert was available to watch via live stream.

A far cry from the stadium pop he once performed with One Direction, the British boy band that famously got their start on The X Factor, Liam Payne’s livestream concert featured him and a guitarist performing stripped-back acoustic versions of his originals and cover songs. The intimate setting allowed Payne’s vocals to shine without the distraction of flashy lights or complex instrumental arrangements.

The final song in Payne’s set was a cover of Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself.” In hindsight, the somewhat melancholy nature of the song—even the title itself—seems more tragic in the light of Payne’s premature death. But even back then, the song was an interesting choice that seemed to pay homage to the pop star with whom Payne and the rest of his One Direction bandmates once feuded at the height of either act’s fame in the early aughts.

A Feud Between Pop Stars, Across the Pond

Justin Bieber and One Direction released their debut singles within two years of one another in 2009 and 2011, respectively. As each act’s star began to skyrocket to new levels of fame, a natural rivalry began to simmer between the musicians competing for chart positions, airplay, and record sales.

During a 2022 appearance on Impaulsive, Liam Payne admitted to contributing to the bad blood between the two rival pop acts when he commented on Bieber’s previous arrest record on social media. However, Payne also said he was the first one from the band to extend an olive branch to the solo pop star. He described meeting with Bieber in his trailer at an awards show and commiserating over their shared “disease.” “We all have this thing about us that we have to live with,” he said. “That’s part of our fame. I think it’s better if we all stick together.”

Payne went on to praise Bieber’s musicality and ability to master new skills. The fact that his final public performance ended with an homage to Bieber is a touching testament to a mended relationship between two people who have famously struggled under the weight of their immense fame.

Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage