Liam Payne's team bring in pro- footballer turned top lawyer to run his music firms after tragic death at 31
The late One Director star, 31, died after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires on October 16 last year.
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Now, nine months on from his passing, Liam's management have brought in ex-Fulham player-turned-lawyer Udo Onwere to look after his music empire.
Udo has been made a director of three of his firms, Hampton Music, Hampton Recording and Hampton Publishing.
The former footballer is now a tax, estate and probate expert.
His usual area is advising high profile sports stars especially footballers, according to his bio.
Not only this, but Udo is a partner in a top London law firm.
Updated documents on Companies House revealed the move today.
Liam's rep has been approached by The Sun.
Udo, who was born in Hammersmith, is 53-years-old.
He has played for football clubs such as: Fulham, Lincoln City, Dover Athletic, Blackpool, Barnet, Aylesbury United, Hayes and Maidenhead United.
After retiring as a player in 2000, Udo qualified as a lawyer.
Liam Gallagher's heartwarming tribute during Oasis gig revealed - but did you spot it?
As of November 2024, he was a Partner at City firm Bray & Krais, working in sports law.
This comes after an executive for Netflix branded late pop star Liam's new documentary as "amazing".
Building The Band's first four episodes drop today on the streamer.
Showrunner Cat Lawson said: "The show is dedicated to Liam. We all loved him and he was amazing in the show."
Liam Payne's sad death
On October 16, 2024, Liam Payne sadly died, leaving family, friends and fans devastated.
Here we take you through the biggest stories to unfold since his tragic passing:
Liam's death is announced.
The star's family release a heartbreaking statement.
Liam's cause of death revealed after he fell from a balcony.
The singer's One Direction bandmates pay tribute.
Cheryl Cole describes 'earth shattering' agony following the death of son's father.
Mourners gather at vigils around the world to honour the late star.
Liam's girlfriend Kate Cassidy makes an emotional tribute.
Liam's body is flown back to the UK with his family.
Zayn Malik reschedules his tour dates due to 'unforeseen circumstances' following Liam's death.
Liam's family announce his funeral.
She added that Liam's death in October deeply affected the team, adding: "You get to know people really quickly [on these shows] and he was a glorious person."
The show is a blend of The Voice and Love Is Blind, with singers auditioning in closed containers so they're selected on talent alone.
Last month, The Sun revealed that the show kicked off with a special dedication to the memory of Liam and his family.
Before the competition started, host AJ appeared on screen to pay tribute to the star.
AJ says: 'When we came together to film Building The Band, we never imagined we'd soon be saying goodbye to our friend, Liam Payne.
'Liam is a guest judge in later episodes and through his presence we see his deep love for music and his unwavering commitment to helping others find their voice.
'It is through that spirit that we dedicate this series to Liam and his family.'
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The final song on LA band Lord Huron's second album flew well under the mainstream radar when it was released in 2015. A decade on, it's one of the most unlikely success stories in and Dua Lipa may be two of the world's top pop stars, and both put out new albums last year, but their biggest songs of 2024 did not match the popularity of a 10-year-old track by Lord Huron, according to the official Billboard global end-of-year singles Charli XCX may have ruled Brat summer, but her biggest hit still wasn't as big as The Night We Met by Lord Huron in the UK last year.(The Night We Met was 35th on Billboard's global chart for 2024, above Dua's Houdini at 37 and Beyoncé's Texas Hold 'Em at 41; and it was 60th on the UK Official Chart Company's end-of-year rundown, while Charli's Guess was her biggest hit single at 73.)Meanwhile, the Lord Huron song is in the exclusive club of tracks that have racked up three billion Spotify plays - a club even Taylor Swift isn't in featuring The Night We Met have had another three billion views on TikTok, according to music data tracker Chartmetric."It's unbelievable," says Lord Huron frontman Ben Schneider of the popularity of his song, which has snowballed in recent years and shows no signs of slowing down. It's not unusual for old songs to become perennial favourites on streaming and social media (see The Killers, Fleetwood Mac and Tom Odell).What is much rarer is for it to happen to a track that was not a hit the first time around. And The Night We Met was nowhere aching ballad closed Lord Huron's second LP of indie folk, Strange Trails, which was well received by the group's loyal fanbase and critics, but only grazed the US album song was written as "a wistful reflection of a relationship, maybe with a sense of regret of where it's ended up and where it started", Schneider explains."I remember writing that song and feeling like it was a very concise way to end a record. And I remember my wife saying she thought there was something really special to it. But years went by and it wasn't like it was a hit or anything."And then things just started to happen with it." The first thing to happen was for it to be used on the soundtrack of Netflix teen drama 13 Reasons Why in first, Schneider was unsure whether to let it be on the soundtrack, but his wife told him: "Just do it, put it in the show."The couple were away in France at the time. "We were gone for a few months, and when we came back my manager was like, 'Something's happening with this song'," the singer recalls."I figured it'd be a quick spike and then fade away, but it's had this weird and pretty unheard of long tail, where rather than falling off into nothing, it fell off and then slowly ramped back up. And it just seems to keep going."Schneider recorded a duet version with Phoebe Bridgers for another 13 Reasons Why scene in 2018. Most of its subsequent lease of life has come from its popularity on has since defied musical gravity by becoming more popular every year. In 2024, it had almost a billion streams on Spotify - 57% more than the previous year, according to Chartmetric. The song's lyrics hark back to the start of a soured relationship: "I had all and then most of you / Some and now none of you / Take me back to the night we met."The song has been used in various TikTok memes, and Cosmopolitan put it top of its playlist of Sad Songs to Blast When You're Feeling Hella Moody. But it can fit a range of emotions and situations - Molly-Mae Hague used it to soundtrack her pregnancy announcement video in 2022."I think everyone can relate to that sort of story and can insert their own biography into it," Schneider reflects. "It's a vessel that fits a lot of people's personal stories. That's maybe why it's had such a lasting and slow-burning effect on people."The singer says The Night We Met's success came at a good moment in the band's career, "because we had already established ourselves in a lot of ways"."We already had a very devoted fanbase, so we weren't necessarily locked into a one-hit-wonder status by that song."Even though it far outstrips our other songs in terms of streaming and everything, we have enough going on otherwise to not feel like we're known only for that one singular moment, which is great." There is indeed a lot more to the band than one Huron began as a solo project in 2010, before Schneider assembled a full have released four albums of yearning, soulful and haunting Americana - with a fifth coming out on albums show Schneider's skill as a storyteller as well as a songwriter, often containing a running thread of a storyline. Magic jukebox The new LP is titled The Cosmic Selector Vol 1 - about a 1950s-style jukebox that can transport people to alternate universes, where life has turned out differently after small decisions in the past set them on different paths."I guess the past few years, as I've been getting a bit older, I've just been thinking about all the ways my own life could have gone, or could still go, or might have been," Schneider explains."Not with any sense of regret, but more with a sense of wonder at the sheer randomness of it all, and how different things could have been if very little things had gone another way."So I started thinking about a collection of songs representing that randomness - the lottery that one's lot in life is." But the controls of this magic jukebox are "busted", he says."Everything's mislabelled. What you think you're selecting might send you a completely different way, and everything's on the menu - sorrow, joy, horror, love - all the ways a life can go."So various characters, including one voiced by actress Kristen Stewart, are put through this dimension-hopping, life-scrambling retro randomiser. Some are based on Schneider himself, others are just made up, he has their own sliding doors moments when life could have turned out differently. For Schneider, there was the time a jazz combo played in an assembly at grade school."I remember watching the bass player and being like, 'I could be in a band some day', and a lightbulb turned on in my head," he says. "I think there's a myriad of moments like that where I could have chosen one thing and didn't, so it's fascinating to consider that."The moment in France when his wife persuaded him to allow The Night We Met to be used in 13 Reasons Why was another turning hit the jackpot in the lottery of life with that sleeper hit. He now hopes its popularity turns people on to the rest of their music."I want to keep trying to move forward and making new stuff," he says. "And hopefully something that we make will have the same kind of impact that song has had."And I think over time, stuff we have already made will, I hope."
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
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Eddie Benjamin posts heartfelt tribute to his 'soulmate' Justin Bieber as the young Aussie admits making half of new album Swag: 'My love is so deep'
Australian singer Eddie Benjamin has confirmed his high level of involvement in the creation of Justin Bieber 's new album Swag, which the hitmaker dropped without warning on Thursday night. The Sydney-born singer, 23, thanked his 'best friend' in a heartfelt post made to Instagram, in which he cites his involvement in 11 out of the 21 songs. 'Made a album with my bestie. My love for this being is so deep,' Eddie said as he shared several recent paparazzi photos of the pair together in a carousel of behind-the-scenes footage from the making of Swag. The post comes one month afte r Eddie and Justin documented their mountain getaway with a group of a male friends to make the album. This would seem to confirm the new album was only made in June, with Bieber, 31, delivering the audio so late that none of the writers are named or credited. Instead of following the usual practice, global streamers were not informed of vital information regarding the album in advance, with sources revealing that it was delivered 'late' and 'chaotically' to working partners. All streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube, are yet to have the all-important credits which explain who has worked on each song. 'Justin delivered the audio for his new album really late, as in only a few hours before it came out, hence why there are no credits on the songs and so far, no one knows who did what,' an inside source said. 'This isn't the normal process when releasing a new album, everything was delivered so late to partners and many within the industry feel it has been randomly rushed out.' 'So grateful to lean on you as a friend,' Eddie continued in his post. 'The fact we get to make music is a cherry on top. You teach me so much and are a true friend. 'This experience has been my favourite musical experience I've had making some soulmates along the way way. The swag is beyond real. Always has been Swag.' Eddie, who has written and produced songs for Bieber as well as Meghan Trainor, Shawn Mendes, and Earth, Wind & Fire, then listed 11 tracks from Swag. Eddie, who has written and produced songs for Bieber as well as Meghan Trainor, Shawn Mendes, and Earth, Wind & Fire, then listed 11 out of 21 tracks on Swag as he said: 'Made an album with my bestie' Instead of following the usual practice, global streamers were not informed of vital information regarding the album, with sources revealing that it was delivered 'late' and 'chaotically' 'Swag ft me [and] Cash Kobain,' he concluded the post. On his Stories, Eddie shared a screenshot of the track Swag with his name in the vocal credits. 'Love singing with you my brother,' he added. He also shared a clip of the song Yukon, which a friend had posted with the caption: 'The Eddie Benjamin effect.' Swag marks Bieber's follow-up to 2021's Justice, which spawned hits like Hold On, Peaches, and Lonely, and led to a world tour that was cut short in 2022 after Bieber announced he was stepping back to prioritise his health. Since then, the singer has made headlines for everything but music — welcoming his first child, Jack Blues Bieber, with wife Hailey in August 2024, while also facing mounting speculation over his mental health, cryptic online behaviour, and rumoured tensions in his marriage. And while fans were eager for new material, early reviews suggest Bieber's time away didn't lead to a triumphant return—with one critic even calling the album 'a cry for help.' However, we won't have to wait another three years for Justin's next album, as it's believed he could be releasing a second body of work within the next two weeks. Eddie has increasingly been spotted out in public with Justin in recent months, including giving him a cuddle as they left the Golden Globes after-party at Chateau Marmont together in January. Hailey, his wife, did not attend the event. Eddie was previously in a relationship with American actress and dancer Maddie Ziegler between 2020 and 2023 and he has also been romantically linked to Willow Smith As a teenager, Eddie performed at jazz clubs around Bondi, as one third of a Blues trio he formed with two classmates from Rose Bay Secondary. In 2023, he was named Breakthrough Musician of the Year by GQ Australia and was spotted leaving the awards show arm-in-arm with another A-list collaborator, Willow Smith. 'I had a pretty cute time working with him,' Willow said. The pair were then seen publicly displaying affection on Bronte Beach. Eddie was previously in a relationship with American actress and dancer Maddie Ziegler between 2020 and 2023.
