As they assembled the photos, Scherzinger raved, Theyre the cutest boy band ever …

The little girls are gonna love them.

But when they resurfaced Paynes photo, Cowell exclaimed, He was the standout audition.

X Factor contestants One Direction (left to right) Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Niall Horan arrive for rehearsals at Fountain Studios, Wembley, north west London. (Photo by Dominic Lipinski/PA Images via Getty Images)

One Direction when they were still ‘X Factor’ contestants.Dominic Lipinski/PA Images/Getty Images

I think that he could actually be the leader, she said.

And with him in place with the other photos, she added, That [group] looks unbelievable.

And judging from the screams in the audience, their legend was born immediately.

Payne released his debut solo album,LP1, in 2019.