Netflix just dropped a first look at its new talent discovery series 'Building The Band' and confirmed that the late Liam Payne will be included as a guest judge. While the teaser does not feature the former One Direction singer, Netflix has confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Payne will appear in the competition series.
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00:00This booth is just so sick, but it's so hard because we can't see each other.
00:07Netflix just dropped a first look at its new talent discovery series, Building the Band,
00:11and confirmed that the late Liam Payne will be included as a guest judge.
00:16Here's a clip of the show that will premiere on the streaming platform July 9th.
00:20My name is Dunzel. This song has always spoke to my heart, has always spoke to my soul,
00:24and I hope it speaks to yours too.
00:26I hope it speaks to my soul too, Dunzel.
00:30While the clip does not feature the former One Direction singer,
00:32Netflix has confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Payne will appear in the competition series.
00:38Following his untimely death in October 2024,
00:41the show's producers and Payne's grieving family were weighing Payne's inclusion in the series.
00:46Ultimately, they have decided to move forward with him remaining in the show.
00:50Netflix said in a statement,
00:52Liam Payne's family reviewed the series and is supportive of his inclusion.
00:56The show is hosted by Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean.
00:59He spoke about working with Payne on the series to THR at the iHeartRadio Music Awards earlier this year.
01:05You know, Liam was an absolute light.
01:07He lit up the room anytime we were on set.
01:10We spent pretty much six weeks, 14 hours a day, locked in a soundstage together,
01:15sharing stories, laughs, talking about music, talking about life, talking about sobriety.
01:21You know, he was just an absolute light and we're dedicating the show to him.
01:28And I'm glad that people get to see this side of him to remember him this way,
01:35because this is really, truly who he is.
01:38Building the band sees musicians compete for a role in a band,
01:41but they never see one another until they perform in front of a live audience.
01:45People could say, I don't want a plus-size girl in my group,
01:48and then they'll miss out on the fact that I'm a great singer.
01:51I have a specific kind of group in my head.
01:53Definitely a girl group.
01:55For more on this story, go to THR.com.
01:58This is The Hollywood Reporter News.
01:59The Hollywood Reporter News.