Maggie Rogers has joined the chorus of fans and musicians paying tribute to Liam Payne in the wake of the One Direction and solo star's death in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday aged 31. During her show at Boston's TD Garden on Thursday night (Oct. 17), Rodgers took a moment to remember Payne before performing an emotional cover of a beloved 1D ballad.
“This week in particular, I thought about how precious life is and how quickly things can change,” the singer said while sitting at the piano, as seen in videos of the special moment posted by fans. She said she was getting ready to go to dinner with one of her oldest friends – whom she has known since she was nine years old – when that person walked into the room and told her about Payne's death. “We're almost the same age,” said Rogers, 30. “Every time a public figure, especially a music peer, slips up, it's really present and I've been sending a bundle of love to my friends and my band for the last couple of days … I just wanted to honor whoever has touched him [One Direction’s] music or these songs'.
He then launched into a hushed piano-vocal cover of 1D's “Night Changes,” the final single from the group's penultimate 2014 album Four. “We're just growing up, baby/ And I've been thinking about it lately/ Does it ever drive you crazy/ How fast does the night change?” she sang as a rush of recognition fell over the hidden crowd. “Everything you've ever dreamed/ It's gone when you wake up/ But there's nothing to fear/ Even when the night changes/ It'll never change me and you.”
Rogers was just the latest artist to pay tribute to Payne, who died after falling from the third-floor balcony of his hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday, suffering multiple, fatal injuries.
On Thursday, Payne's former 1D bandmates — Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan — issued a joint statement mourning the loss of their brother, saying “the memories we shared with him will be cherished forever.” In addition, all four living members offered their own personal statements, as did Payne's family and his former school.
Rogers' tribute came after Rita Ora paid tribute to her former duet partner hours after his death was reported during her concert in Japan. Ora struggled to get through the lyrics to “For You,” the collaborative single she recorded with Payne for Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack in 2018. Overwhelmed with emotion, Ora let the audience sing along as she walked across the stage with her head bowed.
A preliminary autopsy confirmed that Payne died of multiple injuries and internal and external bleeding caused by a fall from the third floor of the Casa Sur Hotel in the Palermo region of Argentina. Police are still investigating the incident, but initial reports say they found substances in the star's unkempt room that appeared to be drugs and alcohol.
Watch Rogers' tribute to Payne below.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/maggie-rogers-tribute-liam-payne-cover-1d-night-changes-boston-1235805088/
