Back in the early years of One Direction we had a Popbitch party with a special guest, a famous X Factor act. Chatting then, the one thing we were struck with was them describing how they were on the series when a 14 year-old Liam Payne first auditioned as a solo star.
Frank Sinatra-singing Liam was unsuccessful then but they struck up a friendship, so he confided in them that he kept getting told he just wasn't cool enough to be a pop star. Liam seemed to go out of his way ever since to prove with his love for drink, drugs and tattoos that it wasn't the case.
It's such a shame he didn't have the same faith in himself that some real taste-makers didEW EW. Our favourite story about Liam was that in his post-One Direction years he got into art, and started to do some drawing.
Word of his new hobby reached David Hockney's great-nephew, who kindly arranged for Liam to meet the man himself.
In advance of the meeting, Liam made a portrait of Hockney, and presented it to him when they did get to hang out.
Hockney was so taken with the result that he hung the portrait up in his house.