BBC Radio 2 host Scott Mills shared a recording of Payne reading his letter on air in 2020 in a video posted on Instagram on Oct. 17
Liam Payne (L) and (R) an extract of a letter he wrote to his 10-year-old self in 2020. Photo:
BBC Radio 2/Instagram (2)
A now “poignant” letter Liam Payne wrote to his 10 year old self in 2020 has resurfaced in the wake of his death at age 31
On Thursday, Oct. 17, following the singer’s tragic death the previous day, a video was posted on BBC Radio 2’s Instagram where host Scott Mills spoke to listeners about a special appearance Payne had made on his show during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Payne died after falling multiple stories at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. with Policía Federal Argentina confirming the singer’s death to PEOPLE on Oct. 16. Authorities later told PEOPLE that Payne had “jumped from the balcony” of his hotel room.
“During the pandemic, Liam came on my show,” Mills told listeners in the Oct. 17 clip. He went on to explain that the BBC Radio 1 show he was hosting at the time was “asking people to write a letter to their 10 year old selves.”
“Liam’s is so poignant today,” he said, before explaining that he needed to give listeners, “a little warning,” ahead of them hearing Payne’s letter.
“This is … it’s quite sad to listen to. But I just really, really wanted to play it to you today,” he said, before the clip cut to text that read “A letter to my 10 year old self (by Liam Payne)” with a photo of the singer.
Liam Payne reading a letter to his 10-year-old self on BBC Radio 1 in 2020.BBC Radio 2/Instagram
“Dear 10 year old Liam,” Payne began, as the video showed him with headphones on reading the letter in 2020.
“Get ready! It’s about to get a little bumpy. Cherish every moment with your loved ones right now as there’s only a few more family holidays to enjoy, life is about to turn surreal,” he continued.
“You know that thing you love, singing, keep it up and when you turn fourteen something magical is going to happen and I’m not talking about puberty,” Payne playfully added.
The singer went on to explain to his younger self that, “Not only will you audition for one of the biggest music shows in the world,” referring to The X Factor, “but you’ll also meet the future mother of your child.” Payne first met fellow singer Cheryl — with whom he would later welcome his only child, son Bear — during his 2008 audition for the show, as she was on the judging panel at the time.
“I know it seems early but just trust me it’s all gonna work out however it’s supposed to. I suggest you watch Back to the Future, it might help,” he said.
“You are now famous and it feels like you’ve peaked way too early you cocky little bugger, but you have barely even started yet. Take it down a notch and remember it’s a marathon not a sprint,” Payne then added, before telling his younger self that his 2008 brush with fame on X Factor “isn’t even base camp.”
Despite making it through to the Judges’ Houses element of the show, his first journey on X Factor came to an end there after judge Simon Cowell decided that young Payne was not ready.
“For a while you’ll feel like giving up,” the singer continued in his letter, appearing to reference his failure to make it further on the show in 2008.
“But don’t,” he told his younger self, adding, “as you’re about to meet four other guys on the same track as you,” he said of his second appearance on the show in 2010, where he was eventually teamed up with Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson to form the band One Direction.
“When you first meet them it’s going to be chaos but just remember to enjoy yourself,” he added.
Next, Payne offered some advice to himself for this time period: “Stay young at heart as that’s what this point of your life is all about; forgive more and learn to listen. You will have the most amazing time of your life, travel the world and live a life you barely imagined.”
In a particularly emotional section of his letter, the singer then appeared to talk to his younger self about the period of time when, after releasing five studio albums and going on four world tours, One Direction split in 2016.
Liam Payne in December 2019.Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
Liam Payne and Cheryl’s Relationship: A Look Back
“Then it will end for a time and you will be left with nothing but the steering wheel. It will feel scary, like you’re alone but you are not. You’re about to start a totally new journey with the most amazing person you’ve met far, your son Bear,” he said.
Payne and Cheryl’s son Bear was born in 2017, though the couple eventually split in 2018.
“Don’t doubt yourself at this Dad thing, just look at all the things you’ve learnt along the way, surely that must mean you have a lot to give,” Payne told his younger self of any fears he may have around parenting.
In a 2020 interview with PEOPLE, the pop superstar had discussed how it took him some time to find his “footing” as a dad.
“I had my son at a young age, and you think it will be a magical thing, that you’re going to grow up one day into the person you’re supposed to be,” he said at the time, adding, “But it took a lot to find my footing. I figured, Dad takes care of everyone, that’s what he does, so my thing was to cook.”
Meanwhile, in the final section of his 2020 letter, Payne spoke to his younger self about gratitude, his professional journey and overcoming self doubt.
“Be grateful and try to remember very day you’re doing something you love that took ten years to build. The first single will skyrocket and you’ll never see it coming but stop with the self doubt and you’ll be fine,” he said.
Touchingly, the final words of his letter saw Payne send a “big hug” to his loved ones.
“Give Mum, Dad and all the family big hug from me…” he concluded.
Following his death, tributes have poured in for the late singer, including a statement from his “heartbroken” family addressing the tragic loss, and a touching post on social media from his former One Direction bandmates, in which they spoke of how they were “completely devastated” over the “loss of our brother.”
