One of the last projects Liam Payne worked on was a new Netflix show called Building the Band, which finally has a release date eight months after the singer’s tragic death.
The streaming service shared the premiere date along with a first-look video on Wednesday (June 11), revealing that the series will drop July 9. According to a release, the late One Direction star’s family “reviewed the series and is supportive of his inclusion.”
Payne served as a guest judge on the show, which aims to blindly match up musicians to assemble new bands based on nothing but musical compatibility. Tony winner Nicole Scherzinger is the main judge and mentor on Building the Band, while former Destiny’s Child and solo singer Kelly Rowland joins as another guest judge.
None of the three stars appear in the first look shared by Netflix on Thursday, with the preview instead focusing on a scene where some of the participants — enclosed in cubicles so that they cannot see who is performing — listen in shock as one talented singer named Donzell nails a rendition of Labrinth’s “Jealous.” One contestant says he’s looking to form “the next Backstreet Boys,” while another explains her reason for joining the show: “People could say, ‘I don’t want a plus-sized girl in my group, and then they’ll miss out on the fact that I’m a great singer.’”
The trailer for the show first premiered on Netflix’s TUDUM fan event, which debuted on the streamer on May 31. Billboard exclusively announced the creation of Building the Band in August 2024, the same month that filming wrapped for the project. Two months later, Payne died after suffering a fatal fall from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
In January, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Netflix would be moving forward with the show as planned, but only after the company spoke with the “Strip That Down” singer’s family about how to handle his role in the show.
Watch the Building the Band first look below.
