Aussie boy band from Liam Payne’s Netflix show speaks out after One Direction star’s tragic death

The Australian supergroup Midnight ‘Til Morning, formed on the Netflix TV show Building the Band, have broken their silence about their late mentor Liam Payne.

The boy band, comprising Aussies Conor Smith and Mason Watts along with their two US friends, told The Hot Hits with Nic and Loren that the late One Direction star had a profound impact on their career.

‘We all looked up to him so much. Obviously, he was part of one of the most successful bands ever,’ they began.

‘I think at this point we all want to do it for him in a way, because he really believed in us. We want to show him we took his advice and really want to make this happen.’

The group was formed under Liam’s guidance on the Netflix reality TV series Building the Band, which was filmed shortly before his death last October and aired in July, nine months later.

They added: ‘I genuinely think he’d be so proud. Just to see what we’ve done, how we’ve actually stuck together straight after the show, started working. We really, really all want this. I think he would love to see that.’

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Midnight ‘Til Morning, formed on the Netflix TV show Building the Band, have broken their silence about their late mentor Liam Payne (pictured)

The band also revealed the emotional impact of Payne’s passing and how it strengthened their bond.

‘When he passed, it was just such a shock, and our project meant so much more to us after that.

‘Even afterwards, Mason texted us and said, “If there’s anything ever bothering you or you’re having any mental health problems, we’re in this together now”. It really opened our eyes. We miss him so much.’

Midnight ’Til Morning consists of Aussies Conor Smith and Mason Watts, alongside Americans Shane Appell and Zach Newbould.

The group’s heartfelt words highlight the lasting influence Payne had on them as both a mentor and friend.

In October, famed British singer Liam Payne died at the age of 31 after falling from his hotel balcony in Argentina.

According to Argentinian outlets, the British singer, best known as one-fifth of One Direction, fell from the balcony of his third-storey room at the Casa Sur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires.

Grieving fans have gathered outside the hotel, sharing their shock and sorrow while lighting candles in tribute to the singer, who rose to global fame on The X Factor.

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The boy band, comprising Aussies Conor Smith and Mason Watts along with their two US friends, told The Hot Hits with Nic and Loren that the late One Direction star had a profound impact on their career

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The group was formed under Liam’s guidance on the Netflix reality TV series Building the Band, which was filmed shortly before his death last October and aired nine months later

During the height of their boy band fame, One Direction visited Australia four times in a string of highly talked-about visits, and Payne even considered moving there.

One Direction – made up of Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik – first visited Australia in 2012, when they notably attended the Logies.

They returned to the country again in 2013 and 2014, when they performed at the ARIA Awards, before returning for a final tour in 2015, months before the band went on hiatus in January 2016.

Payne last visited Australia in 2018 and appeared to have forgotten his previous trips Down Under at the time, as he claimed he had never visited before.

The global pop star, who once said ‘geography was never my strongest subject’, made the remarkable comment after completing a solo performance at the Everest horse race in Sydney.