As Liam Payne pursued a solo music career after his One Direction days, Taylor Swift was there cheering him on behind the scenes. That much is evident in a handwritten note the pop star sent him eight years ago, which is now being auctioned off.
As announced by Omega Auctions on Wednesday (Nov. 12), the organizer’s upcoming “Music Memorabilia” sale will feature a letter addressed to the late boy band star and signed by Swift in 2017 ahead of their respective performances at that year’s Capital FM Jingle Bell Ball. The item is valued at £5,000-10,000 on the auction’s website.
“Liam, Long time no see!” reads Swift’s message in her signature loopy handwriting. “I’m so excited for you, you’re crushing it out there. I’m obsessed with ‘Bedroom Floor.’ It’s so cool to see you from afar, I’m always cheering you on. Good luck tonight! Taylor.”
The letter — for which bidding will start on Dec. 2 — comes with its original envelope and custom “T” wax seal. Omega notes that it was acquired through a “close associate” of Payne’s, to whom he apparently gifted the card shortly after receiving it from Swift.
Billboard has reached out to Swift’s representatives for comment.
The auction comes shortly after the one-year mark of the British singer’s death. In October 2024, Payne died at the age of 31 after suffering a fall from the fourth-floor balcony of his hotel room in Argentina.
If Swift and Payne had a friendship during his lifetime, it wasn’t a very public one — although their paths definitely would have crossed when the Eras Tour headliner dated Payne’s bandmate Harry Styles circa 2012. On one December night that year, Swift and One Direction reportedly enjoyed a karaoke outing together in New York City.
Swift also collaborated with 1D’s Zayn Malik on Billboard Hot 100 hit “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” in 2016. She would perform the track at the following year’s Jingle Bell Ball, taking the stage shortly after Payne.
See Swift’s handwritten letter to Payne below.
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