‘Building the Band’: AJ McLean Promises Liam Payne’s Final Project Shows the ‘Best Version’ of Him

Just months before Liam Payne died at the age of 31 in October 2024, he filmed what would become his final project. The One Direction singer served as a mentor and guest judge on Netflix’s new series Building the Band alongside Nicole Scherzinger and Kelly Rowland.

Backstreet Boys star AJ McLean hosts the new series, which begins with the first four episodes premiering on Wednesday, July 9, and he tells TV Insider that he formed a close relationship with Payne while they were working together.

“A lot of our past lives were very mirrored, even though there’s an age gap, it doesn’t really matter,” McLean explains. “We kind of lived very similar paths, kind of that uncomfortableness in our own skin, but feeling safe when we’re on stage and when we’re doing what we love to do. He was just an absolute sweetheart.”

McLean also says the show will help cement Payne’s legacy, adding, “I hope that for his fans and for his family that people take away from this who he truly was. He was a light that lit up every room he walked into. He was so talented outside of being a member of one of the biggest groups of the world. As a solo artist, as a songwriter, as a producer. He wore his heart on his sleeve. … We all got to see him for who he truly was and we got to experience the best of him, and I hope what everyone takes from this show is the best version of him because that’s what you’ll see.”

Payne’s family supported Netflix’s decision to air the show in its entirety, which McLean admits was “very, very, very important” to everyone working on the series. “He was represented exactly as the person he was and a very positive light for everyone to see,” McLean reiterates. “We are very grateful to his family and to his fans for allowing that to happen. I do believe even if you weren’t a fan of One Direction, you will be a fan of Liam, and probably One Direction, after watching this show. You’ll get to see such a glowing light of positivity and joy and talent.”

Courtesy of Netflix

Read on for more from our interview with the host.

What attracted you to this show?

AJ McLean: I had a blast. This show truly sets itself apart from any and every other music competition show. Not only at the epicenter that these kids don’t even get to see each other when they put themselves together, but I like the fact that they’re the ones doing it. It’s giving the power back to the artist, and with a cash prize. None of this “go straight to a label” deal and being in a box and potentially being put on a shelf. I hate to say it, but nine times out of 10, winners of other shows, you never hear about them anymore. This show gives everybody a moment and, in my opinion, everyone’s a winner. There was too much talent. We really have set the bar very high. I was talking to my line producer last month and I’m like, “God willing we do a Season 2, how the hell do we top ourselves?” There is so much talent out there. This is a great opportunity for them to really be seen and shine. Like I said, it just happened organically, and it was a dream come true. I had the best time.

You do have the tough job of having to tell people when they aren’t going through, as well. How did you navigate that?

Not a fan of that. I’m a very non-confrontational kind of person. We recently had to let go of somebody in our world, and I’m like, “Can I not be here when that happens? I’ll go back to my hotel room. Tell me how it goes tomorrow. I don’t want to be part of it.” It sucks, obviously, but I think also the way that everything is worded and scripted comes across, as well as the team letting me add my own personality to the wording, really … I try to make it as comforting as possible and as inspiring as possible. Just being as compassionate as possible and hopefully, God willing, even if a band doesn’t make it through, they stay a band. I’ve stayed in touch with a lot of these artists since we wrapped up filming, and a lot of them are still trucking along as a group. Some of them are kind of stepping out, trying different things, but ultimately, they’re still working as a unit and being very supportive of one another. No one likes to be that guy, ya know?

It’s been a while since there’s been a new band that’s been able to break out. Do you think the winner of the show has staying power?

I do, actually. As long as they want it, number one, and they continue to have the same work ethic that they had on the show. I think everybody really came to play and came to win, and again, in my honest opinion, everybody’s a winner on the show. They really brought it, and I do believe that the winner has potential to have a lengthy career, as long as they keep the chemistry alive, they keep the communication, and they know their place. Meaning, you being in a group, you learn over time where you excel and where you maybe don’t and you learn your place. Let’s face it, all of these contestants are and were solo artists prior to. Say with us – we were all individuals doing theater and film and TV or singing, whatever, but there is no solo artist in a group, and that’s another thing I loved about each of these groups. They gave each other a chance to shine. In a group of four, there wasn’t two that stood out and the other two were background. Everyone had a moment to shine and everybody killed it. Obviously, nerves stepped in as you got closer to the end and we had to up the ante, and we had a couple twists in the show. I was a little shocked. Actually, I was kind of a lot shocked that there was no five-piece. That was a shocker for me. Again, it worked for us. It worked for One Direction. The Beatles were four. Boyz II Men were four, then three. Destiny’s Child was four, then three. So whatever makes the most sense and works for you as a group, that’s what works.

Tell me a little bit about the role Nicole, Kelly, and Liam played as mentors and judges.

Look, you got the top brass as far as mentors/judges, if you will, from three of the biggest groups in the world. What I love so much about their cadence with these groups was all their criticism was never negative. It was always constructive, it was always inspiring, it was always brutally honest, but honest in a non-condescending manner that wouldn’t take the group’s morale down. You see that in other shows sometimes where some of the judges can be a little harsh, and then the group’s morale goes down, then they’re overthinking s**t. Then when they come back for the next week, they’re not the same. They’re thinking too much, they’re not just being who they are. I think all three of them really were very well-spoken and very articulate. Yes, there was a script to a certain degree, but then it was like, “This is just the subject. Go.” Not a single one of them was reading off a prompter. They were coming right off the sleeve, right from the heart, and I thought that was great. You really got to see how emphatic they were for all of these artists.

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What are you most excited for people to see on the show?

I’m excited for people to see, besides the God given talent that all these individuals have, a different approach on how bands are put together and that it really is based on chemistry, compatibility, and talent. The fact that they don’t get to see each other, I think, is really cool. I got to be there in real time and kind of watch the whole process, so to be on set the day they actually met each other for the first time, like, I got chills. I got emotional. Some of them couldn’t even get the words out when they sang with each other because they were just so excited they got to finally meet their bandmate for the first time. I think people are going to literally have a roller coaster of emotions watching this show. People are obviously going to pick favorites and are gonna be rooting for their favorite group. There’s going to be some twists and turns, a couple curveballs, but I truly believe we need more shows like this. I think this is a one-of-a-kind show. It’s a one-of-a-kind concept that truly gives the power back to the artist. Even winning a cash prize and not being stuck going to a major label and put in a box and told how to dress and what songs to sing … these amazing bands get to control their own destiny, and I think that’s so inspiring to other groups who are formed off the show that might be struggling and trying to figure it out. Here’s a great opportunity to be inspired.

Building the Band, Episodes 1-4, Wednesday, July 9, Netflix

Building the Band, Episodes 5-7, Wednesday, July 16, Netflix

Building the Band, Episodes 8-10, Wednesday, July 23, Netflix