Liam Payne’s first posthumous single is coming this week
Payne wanted to feature Chris Brown on the single, per producer Sam Pounds.
Photo: Marc Piasecki/GC Images
Liam Payne died less than two weeks ago, but fans are already getting new music from the former One Direction singer. This Friday (November 1), Grammy Award-winning producer Sam Pounds is releasing “Do No Wrong,” a single the two artists worked on before Payne’s death. “I pray that this will be a blessing to the world like Liam has always dreamed,” Pounds wrote in a message on Twitter (X). “I pray angels will comfort you all everyday while listening. I pray that this song will be a blessing to Ruth (Payne’s sister), Bear (Payne’s son), and the entire family. I pray that this song eclipses the negative echoes. I pray supernatural positive healing power will embrace each and every one of you… let’s all BE the blessing.”
Of course, Pounds’ decision to release the posthumous single is generating some controversy, as this situation often does. Right before Payne’s death, the singer’s ex-fiancé Maya Henry had posted a series of TikToks alleging that Payne “started to get abusive” after they were engaged. “Yea I see the reports but I knew your heart,” Pounds posted on Instagram earlier this week, along with a video of the two artists in the studio recording “Do No Wrong.” In Pounds’ video caption, he also revealed that Payne originally wanted to work with Chris Brown on the track, which is disappointing, to say the least.
Unsurprisingly, fans seem to be pretty split in their feelings about the upcoming single. “If it wasn’t released in life it shouldn’t be released in death,” reads one post, while multiple reactions to Pounds’ initial tweet thank the producer for giving them the chance to hear Payne’s voice one more time. Meanwhile, fans have found other ways to revisit Payne’s work over the past two weeks. Every single One Direction album has returned to the Billboard 200, with 2014’s Four jumping all the way to 31. “The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever,” the surviving members of One Direction shared in a joint tribute following his passing. “We will miss him terribly.”