Born on August 29, 1993, in Wolverhampton, England, Payne first gained fame on "The X Factor" in 2010, where judge Simon Cowell formed One Direction, which became one of the best-selling boy bands. After the band's indefinite hiatus in 2016, Payne pursued a solo career releasing the platinum-selling single "Strip That Down" and an album, while selling over 23 million singles.