By Hadassa Ferreira, Arts & Culture Editor
Yesterday, the world received news that shocked a whole generation. Mainly those who grew up in the 2010s, were astonished by the death of the British singer Liam Payne who died on Oct. 16.
The singer fell from the third level of a hotel in Buenos Aires. The staff of the hotel in which Payne was residing said that he was very agitated in the previous hours, and corpus delicti exams showed that he was under the influence of drugs when he fell.
Liam Payne was 31 years old and an amazing artist. He became famous for his participation in the phenomenal boy band, One Direction, which was one of the most famous and successful bands of the 2010s.
One Direction was formed on the talent show TV program The X Factor UK in 2010 and had incredible success with the “Gen Z” generation. The band won millions of fans all over the world. Payne was loved and well-estimated on all five continents, and his death left millions of hearts broken.
“It definitely caught me by surprise. It’s a little shocking how someone so young with his whole life ahead of him and so loved could pass away so suddenly,” said Manuela Coca, a junior majoring in international studies and business management.
Payne dreamed about being a singer since he was a kid and auditioned for The X Factor show two times. The first time he auditioned, he was 14 years old and was accepted into the program when he was 16 as part of the band.
Payne was part of One Direction for five years, from 2010 till the band’s hiatus in 2016. He was an incredible singer and a crucial piece of the bond that unified the band. After that, he started his solo musical career, which was very successful as well.
With hits such as “Strip That Down” and “Familiar,” Payne began his new music style, a type of R&B, which was different from what he did in One Direction, but always highlighted his technical roots and talent for the music field. “Strip That Down” was the song that debuted Payne in his solo career and was a huge success. It conquered the top 10 spot of the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum in both the U.S. and the UK.
Payne was a great artist and left a huge legacy for other generations of artists that will come after him. More than that, he gave incredible memories to millions of young people all over the planet. There is a whole generation that will always have his face connected to some of the best moments of their childhood and adolescence.
The passing of Payne was a huge surprise for everyone; he was very young and had a “whole lot of history” to live. Nobody expected that he was “gonna be the first one to say goodbye.” His work always made all his fans feel like he was “the one [that]lifted their heart up and saved their lives.”
But the great thing about art is that, through it, “we can live forever,” and Payne will always live through his songs.
