Liam Payne fans in the UAE woke up to tragic news on Thursday after he was found dead after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires. He was 31.
The British singer, who was a member of One Direction from 2010 to 2016 before the members pursued solo careers, had a years-long history of both visiting and performing in the country. From 2015 to 2023, Payne performed numerous concerts and attended exclusive events in Dubai, including a concert with his former group as well as a record-breaking solo show at Global Village.
To celebrate the life of Payne, here is a look back at his storied UAE performances.
2015: Liam Payne performs with One Direction in Dubai
Before his solo career began one year later, Payne came to Dubai with his fellow One Direction members in April 2015, performing in front of 32,500 fans at the Sevens Stadium.
Payne reminisced about that concert in his conversation with The National in 2018, saying: “You know what I remember about Dubai? We were flying there for the show and there was a sandstorm or something. So we basically had to pull the plane over in Bahrain and wait while it passed.”
Payne also remarked on the physical exertion needed to perform live with the group, saying: "In an average show with One Direction, I would clock up 6km a night because of how long our stage runway was, and the fact that we were in stadiums. I measured that because I put my phone in my pocket on the step counter."
Payne was one of five members of the group, which formed in 2010 when they individually auditioned for the British singing competition series The X Factor. Producer Simon Cowell brought together Payne with Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson to create a boy band, which became one of the most successful musical acts globally.
2018: Payne breaks Global Village records with 110,000 visitors for first solo concert in Dubai
In March 2018, Payne performed his first solo show in UAE, entertaining visitors at Global Village, Dubai. The show attracted a record number of people for concerts held at the venue, with an estimated 110,000 showing up.
During the concert, Payne performed some of his most popular songs including Bedroom Floor and Strip That Down. Some fans arrived hours before the doors opened at 4pm and waited another five hours until the concert started.
The National’s Saeed Saeed spoke to Payne at the time about the difficulties he found in going solo. Payne said: "I am still trying to find my feet. But when I used to go on stage with 1D, at the start I was nervous. Then, after a while, it was the same 22 songs every day in different places ... you become 22 and 23 years old and you are still singing this song from when you were 17.
"It just feels weird, and I'm sure every artist would say that. Now I am back doing it again, and doing what I love to do."
2019: Second and third solo concerts
A year later in March 2019, Payne returned to Dubai to perform at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre. It was to celebrate the Global Teacher Prize in a concert that also included Little Mix and Rita Ora.
During his set, Payne played some of his solo songs but also delighted One Direction fans with a performance of the band’s song Little Things. He also ended his set performing some acoustic ballads, which showcased his vocal range and abilities.
Payne returned in December 2019 to perform a free concert alongside Jorja Smith in Burj Park, Downtown Dubai, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Dubai Shopping Festival.
2023: Nobu opening at Atlantis The Royal
Payne’s most recent official visit came in January last year. However, it wasn't to perform. Instead, he attended a star-studded opening of the restaurant Nobu at Atlantis The Royal. Other celebrity guests included Kendall Jenner and Jonathan Cheban.
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
RESULTS
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JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Toshihiro Aoyama, Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Shoya Nakajima, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Ritsu Doan
Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
The Two Popes
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce
Four out of five stars
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Coal Black Mornings
Brett Anderson
Little Brown Book Group
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Haircare resolutions 2021
From Beirut and Amman to London and now Dubai, hairstylist George Massoud has seen the same mistakes made by customers all over the world. In the chair or at-home hair care, here are the resolutions he wishes his customers would make for the year ahead.
1. 'I will seek consultation from professionals'
You may know what you want, but are you sure it’s going to suit you? Haircare professionals can tell you what will work best with your skin tone, hair texture and lifestyle.
2. 'I will tell my hairdresser when I’m not happy'
Massoud says it’s better to offer constructive criticism to work on in the future. Your hairdresser will learn, and you may discover how to communicate exactly what you want more effectively the next time.
3. ‘I will treat my hair better out of the chair’
Damage control is a big part of most hairstylists’ work right now, but it can be avoided. Steer clear of over-colouring at home, try and pursue one hair brand at a time and never, ever use a straightener on still drying hair, pleads Massoud.
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
UAE group fixtures
Sunday Feb 23, 9.30am, v Iran
Monday Feb 25, 1pm, v Kuwait
Tuesday Feb 26, 9.30am, v Saudi
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza, Rohan Mustafa, Alishan Sharafu, Ansh Tandon, Vriitya Aravind, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Basil Hameed, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Ayaz, Zahoor Khan, Chirag Suri, Sultan Ahmed
Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.
Books, letters and archives
Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
